Merry Christmas!

What anticipation has brought us to today! We have 5 (ok...only 3 who really understand) little and not so little bundles of excitement and joy. I love Christmas Eve! It is the day when I get to explain to each of my children what it felt like for me leading up to their births. All the waiting and planning... praying and dreaming... wonder and mystery... of a tiny baby coming into this world. I can only imagine what our Almighty God experienced the very first Christmas Eve. When I try to wrap my little brain around it, I wind up dripping with utter awe.... to be in Heaven fully perfected in the ultimate relationship of the trinity and to be sending The Son into a world of pain, darkness, brokenness and death... even knowing the ending... I would not have been able to make that choice for any of my children or even for myself for that matter. I believe God gave me a choice to live this year... as monumental as it was for me, it really is the same decision He gives me each morning... each moment even. I am basking in the truth this year that He too faced this very same decision. I often reflect on His choice to face the cross and death. Today, I am taking a moment after a year of experiencing deep loss and unfathomable pain along with redemption and unfathomable love, to reflect on His decision to come live this messy life with us. WHAT A GIFT! I am also taking a moment to reflect on the people who have chosen to let Him live in them this year and walk through the mine field of my life, endure the gore of the explosions, witness the death, and rejoice in the slow and sometimes messy healing and resurrection of something beautiful. WHAT A GIFT! LOVE is an amazing thing - so many of us spend our entire lives trying to find it. Here's the good news... it is yours and mine to have and enjoy. "It" chose to become a He this very night so that I could know Him and experience LOVE! Merry Christmas My Beloved! I love you and am so thankful for each of you.

Faith

Hebrew 11:1 Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:6 And without FAITH it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.


Romans 1:17 For in the Gospel a righteousness is revealed - a righteousness that is BY FAITH from the first to the last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live BY FAITH!"


What about how I perform? Where is the scripture that says I have to do...?

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, THROUGH FAITH - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.


Ephesians 3:12 In Him and THROUGH FAITH in Him we may approach God with FREEDOM and CONFIDENCE!


If I am sure of anything, it is the REALITY of GOD'S love through JESUS CHRIST! God tells me in the book of Hebrews that this certainty is FAITH! He continues to tell me that because of my faith, I can PLEASE GOD! Crazy? Me?


The Book of Romans says the first to the last in His Kingdom will be righteous BY FAITH! So even if I'm the last, I, too, am righteous. (I know, crazy! me? - who knew?)


Ephesians reminds me I didn't DO anything!!! My heart just knows Christ... I know Christ! And in Him + my faith = FREEDOM and CONFIDENCE to approach God! Does anyone else read this stuff???? and believe??? 'Cause knowing it's all true is simply mind-boggling!!



PRAYING TODAY FOR YOUR FAITH!!!!!


Song for Today: Where There is Faith (by 4 Him)


I believe in faithfulness
I believe in giving to myself for someone else
I believe in peace and love
I believe in honesty and trust
but IT'S NOT ENOUGH!
For all that I believe
may never change the way it is
Unless I believe Jesus lives

(chorus)

Where there is FAITH
There is a voice calling, "keep walking"
"You're not alone in this world"
Where there is FAITH
There is a PEACE like a child sleeping
HOPE EVERLASTING in He
who is ABLE TO BARE EVERY BURDEN,
to HEAL EVERY HURT IN MY HEART
It is a WONDERFUL, POWERFUL PLACE
Where there is FAITH!

There's a man across the sea
Never heard the sound of freedom ring
Only in his dreams
There's a lady dressed in black
In a motorcade of cadillacs
Daddy's not coming back
Our hearts begin to fall
And our stability grows weak
But Jesus meets our needs

if only we believe(chorus)

Sorrow?

PSALM 16
Keep me SAFE, O God, for in you I take refuge.


I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; APART from you I have NO GOOD THING."

As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

The SORROWS of those WILL INCREASE who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.



Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup.

You have made my lot SECURE!!

The BOUNDARY LINES have fallen FOR ME in PLEASANT PLACES!

Surely I have a delightful inheritance.



I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my right hand,

I will not be SHAKEN!



Therefore my HEART IS GLAD and my tongue rejoices;

My body will also REST SECURE

because you Lord will NOT ABANDON ME to the grave,

nor will you let your Holy One see decay.



You have made known to me THE PATH OF LIFE;

you will fill me with JOY IN YOUR PRESENCE

WITH ETERNAL PLEASURES at your right hand.



WHY WOULD ANYONE RUN AFTER OTHER GODS?
WHO WANTS THEIR SORROW TO INCREASE?
'CAUSE THIS IS ALL TRUE!!! JUST TEST IT!!

Loving you all and praying for you today...
that He would make known to you the path of life
and fill you with joy in His presence
and eternal pleasures at His right hand
and you are LEARNING TO TRUST!

Song for today...
LEARNING TO TRUST by David Meece

There's a father in your sweetest dreams
Who's always there to meet your needs
He never ever lets you down
There's a mother in your heart of hearts
Who always plays the perfect part
She never lets you hit the ground.

This is the need of children
These are their tender dreams
And Oh, how it hurts when they don't come true.

That's why I'm learning to trust in You
In everything I do
Learning to trust in You
'Cause I know in my heart that you're true
I'm learning to trust in You

But sometimes it's so hard to do
Father, little children must grow up
and to grow we've got to learn to trust
And to trust, we've got to cling to you.

And when You tell me You will hold me close
It's the very thing I need the most
But it's the hardest thing to do.

I've got this pain inside me,
It speaks to me loud and clear
When there's so much to gain
There's always so much to lose.

(chorus)

Keep calling me, drawing me closer
Don't let me hold back
Whatever it takes I must break through

The heart of a child is broken
But his time has come
Whatever he lost, I'll find in You!

(chorus)

Saved!

I wrote on Isaiah 26 yesterday, but if you go back just one chapter to Isaiah 25, verses 8 & 9 are worthy of memorization!!!!

He will swallow up death forever. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces. He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day we will say, "Surely this is our God, we trusted in Him and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trust in in him; let us rejoice and be glad in His Salvation!!" Isaiah 25:8-9

I have been reflecting on salvation. What does it mean to me saved? This world is full of so many things from which we need saved. There is cruelty, torture, defeat, betrayal, and hearts are terribly broken every day. How can He save us from the darkness in this world? Or does He just mean to save us at the end?

I love Josh Wilson's song "Savior, Please!"

Savior, please take my hand
I work so hard, I live so fast
This life begins, and then it ends
And I do the best that I can,
but I don't know how long I'll last.

I try to be so tough
But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone,
God I need You to hold on to me

I try to be good enough
But I'm nothing without your love.
Savior, please keep saving me.

Savior, please help me stand
I fall so hard, I fade so fast
Will you begin right where I end
And be the God of all I am
because You're all I have

(chorus)

Hallelujah
Everything you are to me
Is everything I ever need
And I am learning to believe
That I don't have to prove a thing
'Cause you're the One who's saving me.
Hallelujah!

Isaiah 26

My Bible labels this chapter as a "Song of Praise"! For me, it is more of a song of my life!

Verses 1-2 We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps the faith.

I was raised in an unrighteous city with few walls or ramparts of protection. My salvation did allow me to enter into God's strong city. How I longed for righteousness and to keep the faith!!

Verses 3-4 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal.

As a teenager eager to serve Him, my trust was soring! My mind still harbored the battlefield from the unrighteous city where I was raised - no wonder there was little peace for me.

Verses 5-6 He humbles those who dwell on high, He lays the lofty city low; He levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust. Feet trample it down - the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor.

I came to the Lord so self-assured. I was smart, capable and ready to do anything He asked of me and do it well! Unfortunately for me, God humbles those who dwell on high, even casting them down to the dust!

Verses 7-9 The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you, your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.

I have yearned for Him both morning and night, but other believers have had such greater victories in finding smooth, level ground and patient peace. Could it be I was holding on to the unrighteous ways of my childhood?

Verses 10-11a Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteouness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord. O Lord, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it.

Could these verses be speaking to me? Was there some part of me buried so deeply within me that still remained "wicked" that I was unable to learn righteousness even though I lived in the land of uprightness? If so, Lord knows I did not see it!

Verses 11b-12 Let them (the wicked??) see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them. Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Is this what has happened in my life? Has God reached down out of His crazy love for me and let me see how deeply He showers His love on His children? Has He also, in His wisdom, put me to shame for my pride and hidden stronghold. I have felt His heat... the heat He reserves for His enemies but sometimes graciously gives to those who need disciplined to see His Truth! Will He now establish peace for me too? I am sure all that has been accomplished for good, He has done for me!

Verses 13-14 O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them.

There have been so many gods that have competed in my life for the spot of #1. I must confess, my self-protection from hurt won out most of the time. Today, Lord, it is Your name alone that I honor! Please bury all the evil temptations and strongholds and wipe out their very memory.

Verses 15 You have enlarged the nation, O Lord, You have enlarged the nation, You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land.

Is this what you do Lord? You actually enlarge our pasture and widen the fence as we draw closer to you. The more responsible we become the greater freedom we have to roam further territories in ministry for your kingdom. What a gift. Forgive me for crossing your fence and trying to enlarge your pasture before I was ready.

Verses 16-18 Lord, they came to you in their distress when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O Lord. We were with child, we writhed with pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world.

His discipline is PAINFUL! Please, don't ever doubt it! Birthing 5 children comes nowhere close. Besides birthing brings new life and joy. The pain of my discipline brought forth wind - including failure, hurt and brokenness! Far from an individual's salvation nor new life.

Verses 19 But your dead will live their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your room and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by.

So even though I started off proud and was trampled to the dust, God is calling me AGAIN, to wake up and shout for joy! How many chances are you going to give me Lord? How can you possibly be so good?! Not only do you resurrect me to life and joy... You are willing to do so before things get really bad here. Thank-you Daddy.

Verses 21 See, the Lord is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.

I believe in God's grace and His perfect forgiveness that came through the death of His Son on the cross. I now believe in His power to discipline those whom He deeply loves and can't bear to see wander astray. Thank-you for your discipline Daddy, as painful as it has been.

Hebrews 12:9-11 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may SHARE IN HIS HOLINESS! No discipline seems pleasant at the time (there's a little bit of an understatement:), but PAINFUL.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it!!!
Really Lord???? I am holding on to this truth, believing that one day I, too, will experience a HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE - and that will be a beautiful day that will be as the moments following each of my births - all pain forgotten... joy beyond words... pure delight for having survived to receive YOUR GOOD & BEAUTIFUL GIFT!

10/10 & Abundant Life!!

What a great date!?!?

Next year will be 10/10/10!

I love 10:10!

Reminds me of John 10:10!

"I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly!" - Jesus (John 10:10)

Thankfulness

As the fall settles in, it is such an awesome time to just sit back and be thankful. This year has been intense, but so was the year before, and the year before... will I learn to be thankful even in the midst of intensity... even if the intensity means intense pain? what about intense fear? or intense sorrow? grief? despair? Jesus and His disciples knew true joy, peace and hope - even in the face of circumstances that must have also produced deep sadness, unrest and, perhaps, at times, to the disciples, may have even appeared hopeless.

Many of you have walked closely with me the last few months. I pray that you were able to experience His joy, peace, and hope even in the midst of the circumstances that at times may have appeared hopeless. I need to ask for your forgiveness as I was unable to see His hope through much of it. I took self-protective measures that I believed would keep me safe, but in fact, proved to be almost deadly. I am sorry. I am sorry for the fear, sorrow, grief and despair it caused in your lives. I am sorry for attempting to rob you of His joy, peace, and most importantly, His HOPE! I am sorry for the deep sadness, hurt and unrest my behaviors brought into your lives. I repent and can confidently ask for your forgiveness at this time knowing that God is at work within me. He is taking the pain and brokenness that I had kept so deeply hidden and shining His light into the darkest parts of me.

AND I AM THANKFUL! I am thankful for the intensity of this time. I am even thankful for the pain, fear, intense sorrow, grief, and despair that have surfaced. They have deeply challenged me to CHANGE... as scary as change is to me:)

I am thankful, too, for the support my loved ones have given even during circumstances that had to have appeared hopeless at times. Thank-you for believing in our Lord! Thank-you for believing in His presence in me! Thank-you for loving me through my sinfulness and rebellion. Thank-you for loving my family when they so desperately needed to be loved and cared for and I was rendered helpless. THANK-YOU! I love you, and I thank you! I am so thankful.

Choosing Life

John 10:10 Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.



Two weeks since my last post. Wow! Have they been intense!?





I have had many hours to ponder what does it mean to live?

How is abundant living different from the slow drawn out process of dying?


Truly?!



My body seized 3 times, and I experienced God's presence during each one. He very clearly spoke to me saying, "Michelle, do you want to live or die?"


Of course I want to live I assured Him!! But, He said, "It is only possible to experience abundant life IN CHRIST under the influence of MY SPIRIT and within MY Heavenly Kingdom..." (that was sounding like my earthly days were over to me.)



However, He is SO GOOD that He continued His explanation of the simple question He set before me.


"Michelle, I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly. But the wages of sin is death. So the REAL choice is really between ME and sin and the consequences of your choice (MY DECISION!!!) start this instant. These consequences will either be enjoyed or endured long before the day your body stops breathing!"

Jesus loves me,

this I know,

for the Bible

tells me so.

Little ones to

Him belong,

they are weak but

He is strong.

Daddy, Thank you for being so strong even when I am so weak! I love you. You are my life! For to LIVE IS CHRIST!!! and someday, to die from this earthly body will be gain(:

My Song for Today...

CHOOSE by Christy Nockels

Let me be in love with what You love.

Let me be most satisfied in You.

Forsaking what this world has offered me

I choose to be in love with you.

I will choose to be in love with you.

Let me know the peace that's mine in you.

Let me know the joy my heart can sing.

For I have nothing Lord apart from You.

I choose to call on Christ in ME!

I will choose to call on Christ in me!

For in the fullness of who You are

I can rest in this place.

And giving over this, my journey Lord

I see nothing but Your Face!

Let me know that You have loved me first

Let me know the weight of my response

For you have long pursued my wandering heart

I choose to glory in Your Cross

I will choose to glory in Your Cross!

And I bow down... humbly I bow down... humbly I bow down... I bow down

My Beloved here I am, I bow down, I bow down to YOU!

Deliverance

Well it's been just under 40 days since my last post. How ironic that I spent them in the wilderness fighting for my life? God, I am not missing the Markers You are giving me. I am hoping this blog serves as a way to share them with those who love me!!



Most of you reading this know that I have been walking through the valley of the shadow of death this summer. Others may not. All of you HAVE to know that I have spent a great deal of time here over the years. (It should be clear I've been here before:) My life has been intense! I have loved Christ deeply, but I have also deeply struggled over the lack of His fruit flowing from my life... Joy being #1!!



While I am still in desperate need of prayers, I am so thankful to say the sea is parting, and I am seeing His path of deliverance! I hope to be able to share more as I get closer to the other side and eventually feel the safety and confidence of His embrace on the firm foundation of His GRACE!



For now, please PRAISE HIM TODAY! For He is doing a mighty work in my life, and I couldn't be more greatful! As I sat with Him this morning, He gave me a few monumental markers I'd like to share.



Isaiah 54: 9-10

"To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on EVEN ME!!!



Need You to Love Me by Barlow Girls

Why? Why are you still here with me? Didn't you see what I've done?
In my shame, I want to run and hide myself, but it's here I see the truth.
I don't deserve you.

But I need you to love me, and I, I won't keep my heart from you this time.
And I'll STOP THIS PRETENDING THAT I CAN SOMEHOW
DESERVE WHAT I ALREADY HAVE!!!
I need you to love me.



I, I have wasted so much time. Pushing you away from me.
I just never saw how You could cherish me
'cause You're a God who has all things and STILL YOU WANT ME?!



Your love makes me forget what I have been!
Your love makes me see who I really am!
Your love makes me forget what I have been!





Only Grace by Matthew West

There is no guilt here. There is no shame.
No pointing fingers! There is no blame!

What has happened yesterday has disappeared.
The dirt has washed away. And now it's clear...

There's only GRACE! There's only LOVE!
There's only MERCY! And believe me, it's ENOUGH! (FINALLY!!!!!!!)

Your sins are gone, without a trace!
And there's nothing left now! There's only GRACE!

You're starting over now, under the sun.
You're stepping forward now. A new life has begun.
MY NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN!!
And if you should fall again, GET BACK UP! GET BACK UP!
GET BACK UP AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!
Cuz there's only MERCY and believe me, it's ENOUGH!!!!

Pleasing God

Luke 17:1-10

Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come."



Please, Lord, keep me from leading others to sin.



It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So WATCH yourselves.



Open my eyes to watch myself, Lord. Reveal to me any areas where I am leading those who look to me astray. I understand the consequences for disobedience are severe and include horrific torment.



"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"



He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."



"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat?'



Suppose I hired a baby-sitter. Our employment agreement stated she would work for me for ten hours and I would pay her $100! If my sitter had served a full 10 hours and fulfilled her part of the employment agreement, I could invite her to dinner because she would be off the clock!



Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get youself ready and wait on me while I each and drink; after that you may eat and drink?"



If my sitter only worked nine hours, she would still be working toward our agreement. She would need to work another hour for me to pay her the full $100!



Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?



I could thank her for doing the bare minimum (10 hours), but nowhere in our employment agreement did we agree I would pay her and thank her for doing her work.



So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"



I am in a covenant relationship with God. He has given me His Word... the very key to living a good, full life! He has sent His Son who took my punishment! He has saved me from eternal separation from Him. At the same time, I have chosen to BELIEVE He is God and His Word is true and turn towards Him! Our agreement does not require my obedience. It requires my heart! As long as He has my heart, I will KNOW His Word is TRUE. Because I know His word is true, I will CHOOSE TO OBEY! Why? Not to please Him... or earn His favor... or earn my master's "Thank-You!" On the contrary... I know that believing is what pleases Him... turning to look into His eyes, brings Him great pleasure! Believing and turning to Him is what causes Him to celebrate and kill the fattened calf!



It is completely true that during this process, His Word becomes completely TRUE! My heart transforms to love what He loves. My soul longs for fulfillment... fulfillment that only He can offer. He then comes alongside me, holds me, and opens my eyes to His Word! He lets me understand that obedience to scripture is for MY good... obedience benefits ME not Him! He does not REQUIRE me to follow His instructions, but in believing and turning to Him, I am able to comprehend TRUTH! His instructions help me obtain the fulfillment my soul longs for!

Why, then, do I often seek His "Thank-You" for doing what benefits ME? No matter how well I obey, I will ALWAYS fall horribly short! If He required my obedience, I would be hopeless! I can never live up to an employment agreement where God requires perfect obedience in order to partake. He knows this!

Help me Lord, to fully understand my obedience benefits ME... your pleasure in me rests in my decision to believe and turn to you... and to be ABUNDANTLY GRATEFUL that you do not require obedience!! Help me NEVER to think that my ability to obey is good enough!

Isn't His TRUTH so powerful????? It's almost like He knew what He was doing when He created His extremely detailed, complex and intricate Creation to run so perfectly.

Seeing through the eyes of my little girls...

Cuz there could never be a more beautiful you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZkrn_vaqU


Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight
Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead
Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

Join me in praying for our little girls??

Dear Daddy,

I have a song I'd love for you to hear... if I were a musician I would have written it for you myself! Just click the link below...





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePsN-E7hm2s&feature=PlayList&p=613C76747BBBADC8&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=17





Jesus gave me a story to share with you too! The amazing thing about this story is that Jesus spoke these words before He died... before He showed the world He would break the physicals laws of His Creation! What I believe sets Him apart from any other religion are His Truth and His miracles... as a scientist, I know there is NO ONE who can break the laws of this world. Yet, Jesus did!





The story is called The Rich Girl (that's me:)!!!





There was a rich girl who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At her gate was laid a beggar covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich girl's table. Even the dogs came to lick his sores.





The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich girl also died and was buried. In hell, where she was in torment, she looked up and saw Abraham far away, with the beggar by his side. So she called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send the beggar to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire."





But Abraham replied, "Daughter, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while this beggar received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us."





She answered, "Then I beg you, father, send the beggar to my daddy's house, for my daddy still lives and I have a brother. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment."





Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them."





"No, father Abraham," she said, "but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent and believe."





He said to her, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."





I love you daddy! When I was with Grandma Harris, the days before she died, I gave her my word. I told her I would continue to love both you and Lonnie to Christ. She died knowing God was faithful to rise up someone to continue loving her boys for God. Although unresponsive, she clearly communicated she knew what I was saying and she trusted God to use me. I have failed her and God miserably. Forgive me... I have told you I loved the Lord and let my failures represent His Kingdom. I represented Him as self-righteous and judgemental. I represented Him as no fun, unloving and depressed. I will continue to represent Him but my prayer is that as He becomes more a part of me, my life will better represent His Love. I will still fail! My hope is that you will look past me to the God who loved your mom in the midst of her failures, who loves me in the midst of mine, and who has loved you so much from the day you were conceived!



Praying continuously for you, being joyful that God gave you to me as my daddy, and giving thanks for the blessing you have been in my life...

Love, Michelle

Luke Continues...

My tendency is to feel so honored and blessed for God to commune with me that I can not imagine Him doing anything better during our time together. His presence is sufficient... my great and abundant reward.

As I kept reading through Luke this morning, I realized by accepting the sufficiency and satisfaction of simply spending time with Him, He is willing to grant the desires of my heart. I think of His Truths as Laws. Just as the law of gravity says I will fall to the earth, His Biblical Truths reveal His Laws. If I... He will... (cause and affect). I look to the Bible to tell me these Laws and then I test them to see if they hold true. Often, my tests fail. If scripture is true, then I must be the erroneous variable. The problem I find lies in my interpretation, understanding, or even His willingness to reveal how my thinking got off track.

LAW: Seek God and you WILL find Him!

Often I have come to my time with God expecting to be fed. I have wanted His blessings, His answers and His wisdom in place of wanting Him. Then I get discouraged (and even angry) that His blessings, His answers and His wisdom are not being revealed to me. Is His Law not true? He recently reminded me through scripture to seek Him... NOT what He can do for me, how he could help me or what he should give to me. Suddenly, the scripture is completely true! He is opening doors to greater truth and closeness with Him. He is reassuring me that His presence is sufficient. He is blessing me with the understanding that He is not nearly done revealing Himself to me. The very idea that I can even get to that point this side of Heaven reveals how far I have to grow!

So that brings me to His revelations to me in Luke 16:10-17 this morning. I read...

He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
LAW: If I can get it right now in the small stuff, He will bless me with greater things. If I can't get it right now, He will wait until I do before He will use me to take great steps for His Kingdom. And if I screw up using my gifts at a basic level, attempting greater things will result in destruction.

Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of (handling) unrighteous wealth, who will give you (entrust you) with true riches?
LAW: If I can't believe, know and apply His truths apart from or outside of His Kingdom, how will I ever be asked to do anything for His Kingdom?

And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another (whether man or God) who will give you that which is your own (that is, true riches?)
LAW: I have to allow others to experience God and His Truth for themselves if I am to fully experience His Truth in my own life.

No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will stand by and be devoted to one and despire the other. You can not serve God and mammon (riches or anything in which you trust and on which you rely).
LAW: Anything that rivals God in my life, destroys my service to God.

Now the Pharisees who were covetous and lovers of money heard all these things (taken together) and they began to sneer at and ridicule and scoff at Him. But He said to them, "You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright before men, but God knows your hearts."
LAW: I do not have a complete understanding of God if I ONLY know the righteousness of His Law. I must have Him and His Spirit which is a heart of love, grace and mercy.

FOR WHAT IS EXALTED AND HIGHLY THOUGHT OF AMONG MEN IS DETESTABLE AND ABHORRENT (AN ABOMINATION) IN THE SIGHT OF GOD! (Can't help but think of Lilo running into her hawaiian dance class explaining how feeding her fish a tuna sandwich would be an abomination!)
LAW: THE BIBLE TELLS US WHAT GOD LOVES... WHAT IS GOOD... THE WORLD LIES TO US!! Expect it... if the world loves it, it's not from God. (I believe this means I approach the world expecting to HATE what the world loves...alcohol, darkness, revenge, self interest, betrayal, extra-marital sex, deceit and on and on... NEVER does scripture instruct me to hate God's ultimate creation: people!!)

Until John came, there were the Law and the Prophets; since then the good news (the Gospel) of the Kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone strives violently to go in (would force his own way rather that God's way into it.)
LAW: Before Christ God communicated through the Law and Prophets. BUT His ultimate/complete message was communicated in Christ. No matter how righteous one's actions may be or appear or how hard one fights against his own sinfulness, obeying the law is not God's means for obtaining His Kingdom.

Yet, it is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for ONE DOT of the Law to fail and become void.
LAW: God works within His Law! He is the ONLY one who obeys His own laws perfectly. If He says it is Law, it is! If He says it is True, it is! He is TRUTH! If I grow in knowledge and experience and obedience to His Law, I will grow in knowing and experiencing Him... but HE HIMSELF DOES NOT REQUIRE us to know and experience Him. It's our choice. Jesus has already died. He has already paid my punishment and overcome dealth. Salvation is available to all. Many of us simply do not want it.

If I don't choose to believe He is completely LOVE and His Law is completely TRUE, if I find myself tempted with doubt and discouragement, I can test it. If I didn't believe in gravity I could walk off the roof of a second story building but apart from a miracle (God's ability to break the Laws He created), I will fall! I can do the same test WITH GOD. He will be faithful. He will obey His Law.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12:2
LAW: If you want to test God's will... first, reject the lies of the world, then ask and allow God to transform and renew your mind. HE WILL!

"Therefore anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24
LAW: If you want to transform and renew your mind, you will know God through the scriptures and do what He says.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24
LAW: If you want LIFE, believe the scriptures are True... then demonstrate the authenticity of your belief by living according to their instructions.

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." - Jesus (John 5:40)
LAW: If you want LIFE, you come to Jesus... Life will be experienced as He guides you through the scriptures.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, EAGER to do what is good!!" Titus 2:11-14

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Rev. 1:3

A simple test for today:
Pray continuously, be joyful always, and give thanks in all circumstances... this is the will of God! I will be anxious to hear know how it goes?

My Gift...

I have been told God has gifted me with a keen discernment of His Truth! Often this "gift" causes great pain and hurt in my life and the lives of those I love. As this reality has become front and center in my life, I prayed God would reveal to me how I need to change to mold myself into the Truth I am trying to communicate. As I read Luke this morning, I believe He answered my question. I would like to attempt to share what I believe He told me in red!



The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-9)

Jesus told His disciples...

"There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. The Lord gifted me with His Truth and I have used it to hurt people!"



So he called him in and asked him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot manage any longer."

God called to me and opened my eyes to see I was managing His Kingdom and His truth unwisely, with harshness and a lack of grace and love. I can not manage His Truth this way any longer.



The manager said to himself, "What shall I do, since my Master is taking the mangagement away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg." I asked myself, if I can no longer speak His Truth in this way, what option do I have? I don't know how to use this gift and I am ashamed of the damage I have done.



"I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes." God wants to use this parable to tell me what to do now that I no longer can share God's Truth harshly with others. If I focus all my energies on following the Truth He reveals in this passage, my relationships will be healed and restored.



And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, "How much do you owe my master?" And he said, "A hundred measures of oil." And he said to him, "Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty." Then he said to another, "And how much do you owe?" And he said, "A hundred measures of wheat." He said to him, "Take your bill, and write eighty." I examined how I hurt my loved ones. I began to see how showing them God's grace, mercy and love would minister to their hearts and restore healing to our relationships.



And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he has acted shrewdly (wisely); for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. God has offered me His praise if I can act wisely and do this. I can act wisely by extending grace, mercy and love. The nonbelievers I know do this better than me.



And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness (worldly wealth), so that when it fails, they will recieve you into the eternal dwellings. God seeks to give me permission to love others the way THEY need to be loved, even if they are asking to be loved in a way that is clearly (to me) not of God or True. I am NOT loving them and/or revealing HIS TRUTH in the midst of their deceit and falsehoods by telling them, trying to show them, or demanding they acknowledge the deceit. God does not desire for me to simply tell people their approach or beliefs are wrong (or as I often see, not built on truth). God designed people to need to be loved and gently guided as they test their approach and beliefs themselves. If their approach/beliefs are not true (as I may know that I know that I know), God will take care of allowing their methods to fail. It will be his Law of Truth that will test their inner beliefs. I have to LOVE people enough and TRUST God enough to let Him use their experiences with failure to create within them a deeper desire to find and know Him.


The other way I can reveal His Truth to others is to live it and model it. There are so many scriptures that tell me this is the most effective way at guiding them. My life will lead others who thirst for Truth to His waters which TRULY quench and satisfy. My prayers are with you today...

...that you would seek Christ with all your heart so that He can speak His Truth deeply to your soul...

...that my life would guide you to the well of Living and True waters...

...that God would open your eyes and hearts to draw close to Him so that with Him, you can TEST His Truths... because they will not fail. (He may even be able to teach you HOW to use the gifts He has given you.)

Revelations!

Why is it that some things are so commonly said, heard or read yet not experienced as true? For instance, God tells us to obey His Word and seek it when we get up all the way till we lay down! I have been moved by the way God is revealing this very simple, basic Truth in a completely profound way. Often I find myself reacting to decisions in the best way I can imagine. I think choices through, evaluate possible outcomes I forsee, and rationally decide what the best choice would be... sometimes I even pray! I believe the problem with this lies in a faulty but high self-esteem. I assume that I have read enough scripture and that I know the scriptures so well that God will automatically use my brain, my prayers (not the listening kind by the way:) and thought processes to know His Will! Unfortunately, my thought processes keep wandering astray. This approach leads me to make daily decisions I see as good and Godly based on feelings, assumptions or distant memories of what I have read or heard. When things do not turn out the way I imagined, I get frustrated and subtly blame God.

If His Word is true, it should prove true every single time! I follow His principles and He has told me what the outcome will be if I have faith to obey. Often the outcomes are skewed which forces me to go back and evaluate the process. Is the scripture not true? OR Is it my thinking that got distorted?

Recently I made a conscious decision to seek God's word daily. I decided to present as many of my life's choices to Him (and hold them against scripture) as possible BEFORE making the decision. He has AMAZED me because His solutions are often so far from what I was "imagining" before I ran it by Him. Ouch!

I have been a Christian for almost 20 years. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable of the scriptures. My thinking still takes me far from what God reveals to me when deeply immersed in His Word.

Perhaps, one of Satan's best weapons is to convince us to make "Godly" decisions... just don't read scripture or listen quietly in prayer before you do??

God Bless!

Blessings

God has continued to reveal His truth so richly these past few months. I feel like He desires for this blog to become my outlet to share His wisdom as it takes root in my heart.

One thing that has bothered me for some time is Joel Osteen and the prosperity gospel. Perhaps this irritation stems from the twisted use of scripture. You don't have to look too far into history to see the possibilities for how scripture can be misused. I believe wholeheartedly that scripture is the inspired and inerrant word of God. Deviating from that truth allows all kinds of interpretations that clearly violate God's principles.

To read in Psalms 1 that "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night" makes be wonder what does it mean to blessed? Because this is scripture, I believe it is completely true. I also believe that all that is true (that which is written in scripture) is safe to be evaluated because God created truth to stand against all that is not. Although I believe the authority of the scriptures and am willing to obey them because of their authority, I often do not experience peace in believing the Bible JUST because is it the Bible. Truth is truth and able to stand all tests. If something is challenging me or my heart is struggling, I believe God wants me to take it to Him and allow Him to address it.

One thing I have wrestled with is my interpretation of Psalm 1. I look at my life and wonder why life as a Christian is still so hard and how so much pain can still remain aftert twenty years of walking with Christ. I have followed His teaching with a sincere heart and believe He is including me when He speaks these words. For many years I did not understand how pain and blessing could possibly coexist? Something in the the equation was not ringing true even though scripture told me faithful Christians would be blessed.

I believe God has finally allowed me to see how I had strayed from the true meaning of this scripture. Where does the bible say blessing equals an absense of pain or effort? In fact, the more more I read about the lives of believers in the Bible, the more I am faced with the reality that walking with Jesus will likely require greater effort and a higher likelihood for pain.

Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh! Luke 6:21b

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Then he said to them all, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" Luke 9:23-25

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. John 16:20

So then why do I still desire with all my heart to follow Him? Perhaps, it is because He created me to desire Him more than a comfortable life? Maybe, He designed my mind to long for truth and only find satisfaction in knowing it? Could He be so good, wise and powerful that what He speaks in His word is truly what is best for me? Satan has been very effective in getting me to believe lies. What he can not do, is make those lies fulfill, at least for any sustained amount of time. Jesus claimed to have the words of Life. I have tested His words and found them to be absolutely true.

AND... not only am I blessed, but Psalm 1 continues...
"He is (I am) like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever he does (I do) prospers.

Thank-you Lord for being so holy, faithful, and true!

Noelle's first outreach

Hello friends, Noelle just used her testimony to share God's love with a little baby who needs our prayers. Her name is Hannah and she seems to be doing well but suffered from a blood clot that got lodged in her brain sometime around her birth. The doctor's believe she has brain damage but are not sure how much and how her newly growing brain can overcome it. Her daddy is an identical twin too! We wanted to share her letter with you...

Dearest Sweet Hannah, My name is Noelle Priebe and I am almost 8 months old! I was born on November 26th, 2008! My mommy snuggled up to a wonderful prayer blanket from Grace United Methodist Church the whole time I was growning in my mommy's belly. You see, when I was 10 weeks along, my mommy had my picture taken and found out I had a twin! My sister, Nataly, was growing right alongside of me! What fun to have company in my mommy's tummy! However, two weeks later she had more pictures taken and found out my sister Nataly was doing just fine, but I was not keeping up with her. After many more pictures from the best photographer EVER, they realized we had split from being one baby into two and were still sharing our food coming from one placenta. It was obvious, Nataly was getting more than her share! Nobody could tell my mommy and daddy if I was getting enough to continue growing. Every day they had to pray that God would continue to allow nutrients to flow into my body and allow me to grow, even if it was just barely enough to stay alive. They also prayed for my heart as God needed to reach down inside of me to keep it pumping because my heart had to work so much harder than my sister's. There was a very smart man down in Tampa, FL who is trying to help babies like me. He just doesn't know yet if what he is doing is helpful or not. So he is doing this thing that uses a small hot light to cut the blood connections in a shared placenta like mine. He thinks that if these blood connections are cut, then I will have my own share of the food and Nataly will have her own share. Since we wouldn't share anymore, if something were to happen to me, I wouldn't bleed into my sister and hurt her too. However, some smart men think there is a possibility that the blood connections I share with my sister could have been helping to keep me alive. My mommy and daddy decided not to have the doctor separate us and allowed God to do what He thought was best just the way He created us. Mommy couldn't take the risk that having me separated from my sister might hurt me. So my parents waited and waited. The photographer told my parents to hope for me to continue to grow to at least 1 pound and 26 weeks! Then we would be able to deliver me so I could have a chance. What do you know? 26 weeks came and went and I was getting farther behind Nataly, but I was continuing to GROW!!! That photographer was now taking pictures of me 3 times a week! I was such a good model!! and my portfolio is quite impressive! At every photo shoot he kept telling my mommy I was growing. Every week the growth was getting smaller and smaller, while my sister grew much more than me. But that man kept telling my mommy it was OK and that as long as I was growing we would wait! Mommy and daddy were so excited!!! We got to 28 weeks and I was reaching 2 pounds! and my mommy and daddy were thanking God every day!! As I continued to grow though, my mommy would have these fits of fear! You see, every day that they left me inside my mommy, she had to trust that I would be safe and continue to grow. She knew that I could be delivered and have a good chance of survival but the doctors kept telling her I was better off growing inside her. The big risk was: would that wonderful photographer be able to tell at just the right time that I had stopped growing and deliver me safely into the world before the placenta stopped feeding me? I don't think my mommy has ever been more scared and hopeful at the same time. The photographer said I could stay in my mommy until 32 weeks but that was it! Then, at 32 weeks, I was still showing off how well I could grow and that same man told my mommy he wanted to give me a little more time to grow. So mommy said OK and they made all the plans to deliver me the next week. Then again at 33 weeks, I was growing so well that the man told my mommy that we could wait one more week. However, I decided at my next photo shoot to tell them all I was ready to go. While they were doing all this stuff to mommy's belly and trying to measure my movements and my heart, the beating in my chest slowed down for a couple minutes. The man looked at mommy and told her we were not going to wait any longer. Today was the day that I would be born! I don't think Nataly had a clue what was coming!!! That man took me out first and weighed me in at 3 lbs. 8 oz.!!!! Mommy cried because she knew at that moment I would be an overachiever - who said I could only make it to 1 pound? I sure showed them! Then, my sister, who had beaten my mommy up for months, was forced to come out! I had settled in at the bottom so my sister had to lay over me day after day. As she grew and grew, she wedged herself into mommy's ribs. When they took her out, my mommy could breath! Mommy was happy but Nataly was not! She weighed in a pound and a half bigger than me at 4 pounds 15 ounces. My grandpa thinks we should do a Jenny Craig commercial but my moms says he is silly! We had to go to the special nursery too! And we had to live there for awhile. Mommy and daddy visited us just like yours did. Nataly had a harder time adjusting to her new life. I was so happy to get the food I needed that I actually did better than her. I think she was so happy in mommy that she didn't understand why they took us out! Someday, maybe she will know and be OK with it all. And now we are almost 8 months old. And guess what? I was so little that I wore tiny, tiny clothes for a long time. In fact, my mommy has just packed up my 0-3 month clothes because I am finally moving into a bigger size!!!! I can do everything my sister can! Most people think I'm a very advanced 2 month old until they meet my sister. We look alike and they call us "identical" even though she is clearly bigger than me!!! I heard your daddy is a twin too:) I know that my parents prayed over me continuously! My mommy thinks we're so special, she calls us miracle babies. So, she was thinking you might like some of my clothes. I know they are just silly clothes that often I got really messy, but to her they are more - she thinks they are somehow very special! She thinks they might be a blessing to your mommy and daddy. And although I don't see the big deal, I do hope you like them and feel the love and prayers that have have already been poured into them! She just needs your address? Hopefully she will hear from your parents or your Uncle Mike soon! Love and prayers, Noelle

Hope you are blessed today from her testimony!! We sure are!

Life Security Verses

Friends,


God is doing such amazing things in my life! First, he has used and is continuing to use marital counselor, Steve Figley, to bring about huge revelations and healing in my life. Thank God for men who know and share the truth in His Word and come alongside us to offer support and encouragement!! Secondly, Steve's wife, Joanna, invited me into a Deborah's Daughters group at Grace. The women involved have been so valuable, encouraging and down-right challenging! As they have sought to speak truth to me in love, I have received numerous blessings and assignments. Currently, I have been challenged to memorize scripture and to blog!





Then, as God often does, He used separate occurrences (Pam Tebow, Denny's sermons) to get my attention and burn in me a desire to cling to His Word! My heart's desire is to use these life security verses to start building my spiritual muscles and prepare me for future storms my life will face. So over the past few weeks I have narrowed down 7 passages in scripture that I am seeking to memorize. These scriptures have extremely significant messages for my life. They directly illuminate and defy many of the lies which have ruled my life.





Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He also is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

v.5-8 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; His is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.





Psalm 56

Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life. On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations. Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll - are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise; in the Lord whose word I praise - in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you. You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.





Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.





I Thess. 5:18

Be joyful always, pray continually; in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus!





Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.





I John 5:3-5
This is love for God; to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.


Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this or have been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.



I pray that these verses will be a blessing to you today(:

Seeking His Truth, Michelle

Nathan's Chicks

Do you think my butt looks big in this ?

Still fighting for more space...

Priebe Pig Pile

There was a time when our family fit in the big blue chair!

Bye-Bye Daddy):

Did you guys hear? Dad's gone to New York and he's not coming back till Friday?

We are missing you terribly!

Go Team!

Noelle's on the move... watch out Nataly! Yo...Yo... We the rapsters!

Nataly decides to give cheering a try!

Up, up and away! Super Girls!

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!

Miles of Smiles!

Noelle Roles Over!

Here she goes! Rocking for momentum...

Head flung to the side and...

Voila! She did it!

Our first family vacation (of SEVEN) to Grandma & Grandpa Harris' house in Boca! Elaina swam all around the pool without her jacket!! The three big kids loved being in the water after missing their normal trips at Thanksgiving & Christmas. Unfortunately, our cousins were skiing out in Colorado so we didn't get to visit with them. We did spend an amazing day playing in the waves at the beach! Nathan helped grandpa on the grill!The kids enjoyed nighttime swims in grandma's heated pool!