Welcome to the New Year!

2015 was a year of many challenges for me, good and bad! However, I don't know if I would want to change anything about this past year. I strongly believe that God has a way of taking us through seasons in life, and I just have to navigate through life to the best of my ability, while trusting Him to bring me through it all. 

I don't necessarily make new year's resolutions, as much as I like to set certain goals for myself. I have things I would like to accomplish, and the beginning of a new year seems like a good place to turn over a new page and start fresh. So what are my goals for 2016?

-First and foremost, keep seeking God and pursuing my relationship with Christ!

• I've started a 21 day fast from Soda and Chocolate. 
• I will be going to Church every weekend in addition to my       serving on Church Online. 
• I am going to start a "Bible in a year" reading plan. 
• Incorporate prayer into my Daily life. 

• My body is a temple, therefore I am going to work on losing the rest of the weight I want to lose, and make myself healthier through better eating habits and exercise. Goal Weight is 165(ish) lbs. I am currently right around 180lbs. 
• We have a gym here in the community, so I want to make use of   it at least 3 evenings per week, maybe more if I feel like it. 
• Play with the kids on the Wii, by myself, or go for walks in the evenings. 
• Start doing Weigh Watchers again, concentrating on eating more fruits and veggies, limiting soda and sweets. Also want to     drink more H2O! 

-I want to learn to better manage my (our) finances. I have a bad habit of spending too much money on things we don't need. 

• Simply, keep better track of spending, and curbing the spending on things that I (we) don't need.
• Start paying off debts, one by one, to help our credit so once we are ready to buy the next house, we will be ready.
• Start actively saving money, which is something that we haven't been very successful at so far. 

I know 2016 will come with its own set of challenges, but I have Faith in God that this coming year will be the kind of year that I can look back on and say "That was the year that everything changed, for the better." 

  

When life hands you a day off from work, get busy!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

It is no secret that I am not a good housekeeper. Messes usually pile up until they fall over and I end up moving piles around to make room for new piles. It has gotten better, but still it's a work in progress. Today, I had to stay home from work to deal with David who has come down with head lice.. yuck. If you have children, you know that this usually involves lots of laundry, special shampoos and fine tooth combing of hair to get rid of the little bugs and their nasty little eggs. It's a big pain in the "you know what." 

Since my job usually has me out of the house between 9am and 5pm, when I get home, I just want to relax and not be bothered by "chores." Today I really didn't have that excuse. So, my son got a shower, with special shampoo, and his hair has been thoroughly combed with fine tooth comb. This process is to be repeated in a few days. My laundry machines have not stood still either. Since I was already busy, I started doing dishes, sweeping floors, and my kids' bathroom is getting cleaned too. My house smells like the cleaning supply aisle at Wal-Mart! Still a lot to do around here, but I have to tell you.. it feels good!! I don't always think about how the messy home affects my mood, and contributes to the fatigue I often feel. 

A clean home comes with a certain level of satisfaction! It improves my overall mood, and gives me more energy, because I don't look around me and see piles of stuff to be dealt with. This is not something that will be fixed overnight, and I don't think my home will ever be spotless and perfect like a page in a magazine. After all, 5 people and 2 cats live here and kids are messy. That's a fact of life! 

What I am really trying to accomplish is simply to be a good steward of this home, which is a gift from God. It is important for my relationship with God, because messy home leads to messy thoughts and distractions which interfere with being able to focus on God. It's also important for our health and well being. I want to also instill a sense of responsibility in my children by having them contribute to keeping our home cleaner, in the form of simple chores like sweeping the floors and taking out the trash. I also can't expect them to learn how to keep a clean home, if I don't set an example for them to follow! 

Break time over! Back to Work :)

Struggles

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

I've been struggling a lot lately with knowing which direction I am supposed to take. Seeking God's will, but don't seem to get an answer, and just having to trust in Him for His purpose to prevail. It seems like every message that is being preached at church (Life.Church) is especially designed to speak directly into my life and situation. I encourage everyone to check it out! If you don't live near a campus, check out www.live.life.church for Church Online. 

The beautiful thing about seeking God, and His will, is that when I seek, I find answers through His word, and through interactions with other believers. That is why it's important to seek Godly counsel, people who will point towards God, and to read His Word. Too many times, I find myself wanting to hear that audible voice telling me something, and I forget that the Bible itself is God speaking to me. 

My struggles are nowhere near over, but I can honestly say that I believe that as I continue to seek God, things will work out the way they are supposed to. I hold firm to this verse; Romans 8:28 (NLT) which says:"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

My Gifts from God

"Children are a gift from the lord; they are a reward from him."                                                Psalms 127:3 NLTI am so fortunate to have gotten 3 gifts from God. Each one is unique, with their own set of challenges, and I am Blessed every day to know that these wonderful kids are mine. I love these kids so much and I am so grateful for them. I don't know what I did in my life to deserve them, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. It is my prayer that I am able to be the Mom that God wants me to be. 

David is 9 years old, and he is sweet, loving and loves to read. He is very interested in anything to do with Dinosaurs, Dragons, and he likes to play World of Warcraft too. He also loves to play with his friends after school. 

                                                                       

 Lailia ("Lay Lee Ah") just turned 8 years old, and she is my "girly girl". She loves to dance around, and is interested in Monster High. She likes to play with her friends, and she loves school. I can picture her as an actor or dancer some day. 

Zoe is my 5 year old little imp. She is the life of the party, and demands attention. Bobo, the Turtle pillow pet, is her trusted friend and companion. She loves My Little Pony. She is very observant and has a memory like an elephant. 

Thankful

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."                                      1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Here in the USA, we have a dedicated day for Thanksgiving, which is meant to remember the founding fathers who came over to America on the Mayflower. We stuff ourselves with Turkey, Ham and the trimmings. We travel to spend time with our family. It's a wonderful holiday!! One of my favorites! It's also a stressful time of year for a lot of people. With Christmas following so close to Thanksgiving, it's also become an unofficial starting pistol shot for the race known as Christmas shopping. We might as well nix the term "Black Friday," because stores are now even open for business on Thanksgiving Day! I find this incredibly sad!! Where I grew up, in Norway, stores still actually CLOSE on designated holidays!! America seems to be open for business 24/7, eager for those cash registers to bulge and jingle, and desperately seeking each swipe at the credit card machines! I used to work in retail, and even though making holiday pay was nice, having to work on the holidays was a dreaded part of the deal. I don't even know if I want to go shopping on Friday, deal or no deal! I know for sure I am not going ANYWHERE tomorrow. I have to draw the line somewhere! I miss the times when Thanksgiving actually meant spending time with the family around the table! I also think it's very important to remember to be thankful EVERY day of the year. I heard on the radio today (KLOVE) that there was a study showing that those people that showed gratitude daily were overall healthier than those that did not. (http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/23/456656055/gratitude-is-good-for-the-soul-and-it-helps-the-heart-too). I believe that this is true. As a nurse, I know that those patients that I have encountered that have positive attitudes, and express gratitude, are faster to recover for example. Not to mention, being more pleasant to deal with than the whiners and complainers. I know that even on a day where nothing seems to be going right, and I feel like the whole world is against me, I can find ONE thing to be grateful for. Actually, when I think about it.. I will always have at least 2 things to be grateful for, because Jesus Christ. my Savior, will always be number one! I will not be caught up in the materialism of chasing the best deals. I will remember what is important, My Lord, and My family! 

Reach the unreachable.

"If slaves should escape from their masters and take refuge with you, you must not hand them over to their masters."
                                        Deuteronomy 23:15 (NLT)

In the last few days, it would be impossible to not have noticed that the world is in a stage of uproar. We had a major terror attack in Paris just a few days ago, and thousands of refugees from Syria have been roaming all around Europe hoping to find a new home somewhere. There has been a lot of fear that terrorists might try to hide among the refugees and sneak into the US undetected this way, and this is a very valid fear! However, I don't think it really matters if we accept refugees or not, because terrorists are always going to find a way to incite terror. 

Truth is, we better just wake up and realize that this is our reality today. ISIS exists, Wars exist, Refugees exist... It's a never ending thing. The media is powerful, because even though a lot people live their daily lives with the reality of war and terror, unless the media comes along and shines a light on it, they are largely forgotten about. What we have to understand is that this is more common than we have been led to believe. It's reality! It's only when it happens in a place like Paris, or NY that it gets the amount of attention that seems to spur any kind of notable action or reaction. It's not important to us unless it actually hits "close to home." I am not trying to say that what happened in Paris wasn't horrific, because it was, I just wish that it didn't take what happened in Paris to make people realize that the World truly isn't safe..for anyone! 

It makes me very sad that so many people and countries are wanting to turn away refugees based upon the potential that a terrorist might lurk among them! So, you're going to let 100 people suffer because of maybe 1 bad person? It makes me sad to think about all those children who are left literally out in the cold. To me, this fight is not so much about religion, as it is about fanaticism. Even Christians, who become fanatic about Christianity, have the potential for violence. The religions don't make the terrorist.. the person makes the choice to become a terrorist, and uses whatever religion he wants to to justify his actions. 

It is true that some people grow up not knowing any better! What if, in the course of someone from for example Syria, comes to the US with the initial intent to commit a terrorist act, but then in the process of meeting people gets introduced to Jesus. Now, you might say that a fanatic Muslim would NEVER consider Jesus, but isn't God greater than that? I refuse to believe that God is unable to reach even those in the darkest of places. Are we going to be able to reach and effect change with each one? Probably not, but I would like to at least see that the opportunities aren't lost! What if a family from Syria comes to live in your neighborhood, and you get the opportunity to just be a good neighbor, and just live the Love of Christ through your actions and then they come to know Christ through knowing you, and then they start to tell other refugees about Christ. What if? 

Also, let me be clear.. I am by no means of the opinion that we should just open our borders wide and let all the refugees in, no questions asked.. There has to be safeguards in place, some type of vetting procedure.. I am not knowledgeable enough about how it's done to be able to say HOW that process should take place, except to say that it's needed. I do know that it is important to be in prayer for the leaders of our nation, as they try to make those decisions, and also for those refugees as they try to find a new place to call home.. wherever that might be. 

Unequally yoked

"Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?"                  2 Corinthians 6:14 (NLT)

"For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage." 
                                  1 Corinthians 7:14 (NLT)

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of being "unequally yoked" in marriage with a non-believer. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and he is a great man, but there are also a lot of challenges in being married to someone who doesn't share my faith. I don't regret marrying my husband, because if I hadn't, my children would not be here, and I honestly have no idea what my life would look like. 

One of the main challenges of being married to a non-believer has been that we view things from opposite perspectives sometimes. I see things from a "God Perspective" and he sees things from a "World Perspective" and the two are not always in agreement. One example: I want to tithe 10% of my income back to God as the Bible says to do. I feel it's a matter of obedience and I feel very guilty about not tithing. From his viewpoint, God doesn't need the money and it's basically the Church's way of making money off people. I feel conflicted because the Bible also says that I am to obey my husband, and I know him well enough to say that if I give the church 10% of a months income, we would have a big fight on our hands, however I have to also consider if my obedience to God is more important than any fight my husband and I would end up having.

"So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer." 
                                         Ezra 8:23 (NLT)
Another challenge is not being able to go to God together when life gets tough. My instinct says to pray and seek God, and he has to look at all the angles from his "World Perspective," using logic as he knows it. This is not always a problem, because it will usually work out in the end, but just to be able to pray and seek God together with him would be so much better! 

"And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had."             
                                       Acts 2:44 (NLT)
I also struggle with the fact that my husband is somewhat jealous of my time. He is okay with me going to church on Saturday or Sunday, but he doesn't like it when I start to spend more time than the hour or so for church, and the time I spend serving on Church Online, to fellowship with other believers. He also does not come with me to church. He is okay with me taking our kids to church, which is a big bonus, and I am grateful for it. He always complains that he feels ignored or neglected when I spend more time on "church" than I do on him. It's tough to find that balance, and a lot of the time I just don't do a lot of church activities other than one experience per week and my serving on Fridays at 10 pm. However, for me to actually grow in my faith and my walk with Christ, I crave the fellowship of other believers! It's like trying to live on Bread and water, versus actually getting fed good nutritious food. I will still grow with the bread and water, but I won't thrive! 

"But if you refuse to serve the lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the lord." 
                                       Joshua 24:15 (NLT)
Like I said previously, I don't regret marrying my husband. We have some challenges to overcome. My main challenge is to learn to live my life in a way that honors God, to draw closer to Him and to set an example for my kids to follow. I believe that God will work on my husband and I will continue to pray for him, but I have to take a stand on what is more important to me, and what is important to God.