Wrestling it to the end

I've been wrestling with God this week. Trying to figure out His will for my life...where I stand...what the condition of my heart should be...confessing what the condition of my heart is.

As I wrestled I became accutely aware of two things: God is merciful. And God is gracious. He never got angry with me. In fact, He encouraged me to pour out my heart to Him (Psalm 62:8). I told Him everything...exactly how I felt. Mistrust. Hesitation to submit. Fear. Resentment. Bitterness.

Then the most amazing thing began to happen. I wash flooded with a peace that passes understanding. I felt renewed hope and fresh joy. He reminded me of who I am: His Beloved Child. He lavished me with love. He lifted my head as I bent my knees.

The following words by Francois Fenelon have taught me a new way to pray, and I have read them every day for the past week. I hope they will speak to you about how we can approach the Lord - our God - our Savior.

Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures, and its pains, to a dear friend.

Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you coquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself and others.

If you thus pour out your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want for subject of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back, neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of their heart, without consideration they say just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.

All Kinds of Love

My Bible study small group started planning a dinner for military wives whose husbands are deployed about 5 months ago. It began as a Christmas dinner, but we ended up rescheduling for the weekend before Valentines Day.

It was so fun to watch how God brought all the details together. We said from the very beginning this was His event. Let me tell ya, God is a great party planner!

Our theme was "All Kinds of Love," which came from the title of our gifted professional speaker, Janet Perreault. She graciously spoke at our event for free and blessed the women with encouragement, hilarious stories and wisdom from her own journey.

Our Valentine-themed tables.

Gift bags filled with generous goodies.

Yummy soup buffet.

The women arrived and enjoyed some girl time.

My Mom's youth group from Pueblo drove up and provided childcare. This was a neat service project for these teens, and they rocked it! They provided snacks, games and crafts. But I have to tell you, they all told me they were the ones who were blessed by hearing these precious kids pray for their dads.

The live music by my co-leader and one of our group members was awesome.

My favorite part of the evening...watching the women open their gift bags!

I'm so grateful God chose me and my small group to be a part of this dinner. We were so blessed to spend an evening with some really special ladies. It's exciting to see how God is paving the way for more events like this one in coming months.

A really big thank you to those who donated to the gift bags. These women were so surprised and very thankful for your generosity.

Just a sampling of what they received:
♥ CDs from Danny Oertli & Shannon Wexelberg
♥ Books from Beth Moore
♥ Gift cards from Starbucks
♥ Handmade necklaces
♥ Mary Kay gift cards
♥ Handmade stamped cards
♥ Handmade photograph cards
♥ and much, much more!!!

"My Gym House"

Last month I started taking Nate to My Gym, a children's fun & fitness center. He loves it! From the very first day he impressed the instructors with his abilities (like jumping with no fear), his charisma (he's always willing to try new stunts) and his comprehension (he follows directions really well when he wants to).

Nate has affectionately coined the phrase "My Gym House." This is a cross between going to My Gym and going to a friend's house. It is the highlight of his week.

This is Nate and his friend Lexi...just hanging out.

I ♥ Snow Days!

In the past seven days we have had three snow days! Nate and I love it when Emma gets to stay home on a snow day. So this post is dedicated to the best things about snow days!

♥ Lazy mornings.
♥ Staying in our PJs half the day or all day, whichever we prefer.
♥ Playing games.
♥ Leisurely breakfast.
♥ Unhurried workouts.
♥ Macaroni & cheese for lunch.
♥ Quiet time for everyone.
♥ Crafts.
♥ Snuggles by the fire.
♥ Hot chocolate.
♥ Reading for fun.
♥ Crockpot dinners.
♥ Staying home all day.

What do you love best about snow days?

Super Bowl Party

We had our small group over for a super bowl party, but I think everyone was more interested in playing games and chowing on good food than watching the actual game. (And can I just say, the commercials were so lame this year!)