Milestones

Tomorrow is a milestone for our family.
Tonight, I tucked my lil Miss C into her bed for the last time as a preschooler- tomorrow my baby goes to school to start kinder!
It has almost been three years since encephalitis came to our home & forever changed my world. Lessons have been learned, strength has been found & tears, many tears have been shed.
Tomorrow marks a day that I did not think possible 3 years ago, I thought unlikely 2 years ago & I thought would be a nightmare 1 year ago.
We have all changed and grown. Miss C has learned the big things- to walk & talk again, the little things are sometimes tough- her wee mind is busy and sometimes very disorganised- words like post encephalitis ADHD & Autism jump about on pages of Drs reports.
Words, tags, labels that describe but don't define.
My baby girl could better be described as unique, delightful, energetic, honest (a little much so somedays.... ;)  happy & blessed.
I couldn't see this day as a reality, I could only see what my eyes saw & feel lost, hopeless & worried.   The Father saw differently.
He sees all our tomorrows- He has a great plan & abundant provision & grace.
Mumma might need some tissues, He knows that too!
I'd better put the kettle on early!

Sorry for the silence

I haven't disappeared from blogdom- life has become a huge appointment shedule- with our beautiful girl back & forward into hospital & having anesthetics, tests, MRI's, lumbar punctures, seizures & general hardships from this awful encephalitis.

We have had celebrations that have bought joy too: we have all had birthdays- lil C turned FOUR in march!! (yay & we celebrated at home- her 2nd birthday ever that she actually was not in a hospital for!!) our other sweet DD turned 14 & Dh & I also had birthdays in April- so we have over indulged in cake & worked a few long overdue smiles & lighthearted fun in too!

Another milestone was DH & I celebrated 18 years of marriage last week, I have been really challenged to look at my family relationships as special- to celebrate the everyday & not underestimate the value of the ordinary.

Life is tough, it hurts, it is time to bring happiness & laughter to our home -on purpose! -especially when inside I want to weep.
I'm finding it too easy to say "I cant face it- I
hurt- I won't bother" but the "thief comes to steal, kill & destroy" (Jn 10:10)

In fact, I'm letting go of an important part of Gods plan for my life in surrendering my joy- because Jesus said "He came that we may ENJOY life" & So I am choosing to LOOK for opportunities to find joy even if my heart is breaking.
Spending time quietly before the Lord I realise that I struggle with fear & trust- that not having all the answers To my lil girls illness is such a barrier that puts me into cycles of reasoning, planning , manipulating (trying to get Drs/specialists to see us & help her & to get the clinic that she needs close by with the right therapist takes every organizational, sweet talking skill I have & then some - medical practices have a " way" all of their own & when you are desperate they are VERY frustrating.! But when I stop I'm exhausted & I am saddened by how much I do in my own steam- my fear takes away my faith. I am so small & I I don't see as the Father sees & so Most of my worries that I lay at His feet I grab back again & instead of trusting -I worry.

I wrote out a statement that I have made up to remind me- my motto if you will- from that time facing my fears with the Father:

"if we could see as God sees:
our worries would turn to trust
& our fears would turn to dust"
I forget this quickly & worry again, but I am going to keep reminding myself & turn those fears to dust!!
Hugs all xx
In His Grace,
C

2011, What are your plans?

Today I am sitting and praying over specific areas that I want to see grow in 2011.

Im looking at organising and being intentional about the things that are important to me.
I want to have God flood my everyday with Himself.
I am looking at areas of:

• Deepening my time with the Lord.
• Teaching my daughters to love and serve the Lord
• Nurturing my marriage
• Being busy and organised at home.
• Continuing my weight loss journey and keeping my focus on The Lord for my direction through the Glory Gals

I am loving the accountability of Good Morning Girls, these woman email each other daily as a way of being accountable to be keeping in the Word each day. We pray for each other and this group has been a tremendous blessing for me. If you are not in a Good Morning Girls group, I would strongly encourage you to get a few friends together from your Church, Bible study, facebook or bloggy buddies- anywhere and start up a group. If you need a group there is a message board to meet others with a passion for God or drop me an email/comment.

Mary Kate Warner has some very good resources  that I have been using to teach my DD 3yo. Mary Kate has really good original craft ideas that become part of the children's special things not just something that sits on the backseat of the car til it is thrown away. We made a prayer heart and have put our promises in it and we are making a memory verse box and my older DD 13 is quite engaged with the craft too. I really like her ideas and the kids learn special things about God in there everyday, her ideas are not just fab for sunday school lessons but we use them as craft for visits to friends houses and our regular time with God.
Have a look around her new website and leave Mary Kate a comment to say you stopped by. I think it is great to get practical help to sow God's word into the lil hearts that fill our day be they our kiddos, grandchildren or friends and I appreciate her creative ideas!! Have a look at http://www.christianitycove.com/

What a tremendous blessing to have a brand new year to love and serve the Lord, let us make our priority Giving Glory to God where we are in 2011!

Hugs
C

Bring it on!!

What a year- 2010 done & dusted!
It has been a big one: encephalitis came to visit our home and changed our lives in an extraordinary way,  also  my baby girl became a teenager and finished her first year of high school: gulp! My DH & I celebrated 17yrs of marriage and we are many many bricks closer to finishing our home: definitely in by Christmas eh B!!
The highlight of this year has been the people that have walked the journey with us: my beautiful good morning gals group who have shared their heart as they walk with God and encourage me so much, also the people I love who I will maybe never sit and have a coffee in person with yet bless me by praying for me and my family ( thank you xx) the people who have stepped close to my heart and held my hand and crossed miles to turn typing to faces (xx) my heart aches to again have our morning latte! 
Hugs to People who have stretched my faith, shaken my brain cells, wrestled with issues and put the kettle on & listened, 
God has blessed me with people to walk with us this year: Thank you to the people who are reading this - thank you for your smile in 2010,  thank u for your prayers and your fun & encouragement - bring on 2011!!

He Came!!

He came!!!

He came and He left gifts!!!

Not a silly fat fairytale man in a red suit needing mumma & dads everywhere to help him keep his "promises"

I'm talking about the most significant event in our lives, in all earths history. He came. Wrapped in cloth, laid in a manger, Alive in the body of a man to restore His children to their Father. To give what we were unable to give.

He came. He didn't have to, God had been talking to people through prophets for centuries, He sent celestial wonders and miracles and spoke through holy men and women, but He knew He had to give us something more- Himself, for us- no other gift compares, no other gift has such significance, no other gift has such sacrifice. Jesus came because He loved us more than we will ever know this side of Heaven, but thanks to the fact that He came we will one day be rejoicing in understanding and glory with Him in Heaven.

Im Praying you have a lovely Christmas experiencing the gift that Jesus came to this world to give us- relationship with the Father.

Weigh loss & The Glory Gals.

Since my first bub I have had a bit of excess baggage. (Hmm she is now 13...) My dear big sister gave me a nudge and I have started a journey to loose the excess weight and get more energy.

I started this journey and I realised that I was spending a good bit of time reading labels, reading recipes, adding foods to my journal and weighing in. I had a plan but one very essential component was missing. God.


I had left Him out of my diet plans.

I was relying on myself, my wisdom and my will power just like I have many times before.


Nudge, Nudge.

God is my stregnth, apart from Him I can do nothing, yet in the area of weight loss I somehow exclude God.

I have thought about this and I think it is because I feel a bit ashamed of how little self control I have.



I have been teaching my 3yo DD a song about the "Fruit of The Spirit" and wowsers - there it is- God knows we need self control and He also knows we lack it - so He gives it to us and develops it in our lives when we push into Him.

What Grace.

What love.



I dont want to open the door for the enemy to whisper condemnation and guilt in and to rub my nose in my failures. I want to run to God, seek His truth and ask for His support on this journey.


I want invite you too. I have read many other gals stories who are on this weight loss journey over the last while and it seems like alot of us have similar feelings of inadequacy, guilt, failure.


I think that it is time to say "Enough of that"

I have started a separate blog in which we can walk this journey together. Come by and visit me at "The Glory Gals" because its not about us, our lives are for His glory. Lets walk with The Lord and live how He made us to- with our image of ourselves lining up with His word.

Each week I will be putting up a post addressing just this- Who we are in Christ, what He says about us and including Scriptures and thoughts. Lets get some discussion going and make some important discoveries about who we are as Daughters of The King. Let's give Him Glory on our journey. If you would like to write a post that would be wonderful, or link up on the blog roll, pop on over to The Glory Gals

If you would like to do an online study together on specific issues then post your ideas and we can get a group together and dig into The Word.
If you would like to join me lets read and encourage each other along this journey, today is a good day to start but most of all lets invite God in.

In His Grace,

C

Prayers for. NZ miners

 My verse is 1 Thessalonians 1:2 “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.”

I was just having a quiet cry for the  families of the 29 new zealand miners who were killed today in that horrific explosion, one month to Christmas tomorrow and they may have already brought gifts for their sons,dads & hubby's and never would have expected to send them off to work and never see them again, such tragedy.
this is a harsh reminder to tell people we love them,pray for them, tell them of Jesus & to refuse to get caught up in useless bickering or worse, in apathy. Today is a gift, 
tomorrow is indeed a blessing.