Day 332: I Can't Wait

WE ADOPTED A KITTEN!!!!

For Christmas the kids aren't getting a bunch of toys (which they never really do...), and they ARE getting a pet! Our very first pet, with fur. That's much different than one that has a lifespan of approximately 3 months.

He's going to stay at the shelter until it's closer to Christmas. But I can hardly wait.

Lord, thank you for making pets, and that we can have one.

I pray that this new little friend will bring even more joy to our home and be a blessing. 

Day 331: A Little Different

Sometimes things just come together differently than you think they will. The general plan for our household income is that Casey earns the bulk, and then I work eight hours a week to make up for the rest that we fall a little short with just his paycheck. The trick is that I have to get that minimum-ish of eight hours a week. It's not much, but that's about what we need me to do, and because of the way I get paid, it's nice to have the consistency of those eight hours.

Hours are really tight at my work right now though. Through Christmas, there just isn't much work and so hours get cut. My hours were cut this week. That doesn't bode well with our general financial plan. And Christmas is coming. That means there's extra treats to buy, and little gifts to give. We don't do anything crazy, but it just kind of adds up, you know?

This has happened before, and we've always been fine. It creates frustration for me because you would think that I would be able to get a measly eight hours at a part-time job, but I guess thing aren't always what you think. They don't go the way you think.

In light of the disappointment of another week's worth of pay cut from our budget, Casey was given a check. As coincidence providence would have it, it was for about the same amount that I get for a week's worth of work.

So yeah, sometimes things come together a little differently than we expect.

Day 330: All the Time

I've been helping my husband with the counseling ministry at our church, and it has been really educational and good to support him in it.

One of the many things I like about it is that the counseling isn't meant to be a perpetually ongoing thing. It's meant to serve a purpose to help someone work through a situation through the truths found in God's Word. Tonight marked our last meeting with someone, and I am praising the Lord for the work that he has done in the heart of this individual. I'm thankful that I have been so encouraged in it, and that he has blessed the time.

He has answered so many prayers, and he has done such mighty things through the work of the Holy Spirit. I just give him praise for his goodness and kindness towards myself, Casey and the dear saint that we had the privilege to meet with.

God is good. All the time and in every circumstance, He is good.

Day 329: I did it!

Making things pretty is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it's spending a long summer rearranging the house and decorating for as cheap as possible, or making food look extra appetizing, making something prettier is something that brings joy to my heart.

So as I'm learning how to use GIMP, I took on the project of making this blog and our family one pretty.

And I did it! Go me!

It brought so much joy to my heart, and every thing that I was able to do successfully was such a victory for me. I'm so thankful for learning new things, and using my creativity, or building on the creativity of others, to make something that is fun, and well, pretty!

Day 328: A Thought

Serving my family doesn't make me a slave.

Withholding service to my family or with an unwilling spirit does make me a slave- to sin.

Lord, make me a servant, humble and meek. 

Lord, let me lift up those who a weak. 

And may the prayer of my heart always be, "Make me a servant." 

Day 327: It's Time to Hear Play the Music...

Remember the Muppet show?

Honestly, I don't remember it much. But I do remember enough about the movies and such to know that the new Muppets movie that just came out is really great. We went to it as a family on Thanksgiving, and it was one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in a long time. The kids liked it, and my husband and I liked it. It was clean and cute and funny. I actually lol'd in the theater. So that's pretty good.

God gives us gifts of all kinds, and one of the things that I want to bring him glory for is all those things that make us happy, even movies. He created people with the ability to imagine, think, dream, laugh, and entertain. Movies, music, plays, and art all reflect qualities held by our Maker, and I rejoice in that.

Lord, thank you for Jim Henson, 

and that through his imaginative spirit, 

we have things in this world like Muppets, and Sesame Street.

Day 326: Thanks

This time of year, it's only natural to start looking at what has transpired in the past year. I was doing this, and I am ashamed at how little I have thought about all that the Lord has done for me and my family in the past year. Don't get me wrong. Obviously, I'm thinking about these things as I go along, but it's been a while since I looked at a big picture view of how God has moved in the last year.

My heart overflows thinking about all the ways that we have been provided for, or how prayers have been answered, or for all that we have been given.

A year ago this Thanksgiving, my husband didn't have a job. I was working as much as I could to earn as much as I could for our family. I was very divided in my heart, trying to balance work, home and supporting Casey in finishing his degree. The burden was heavy, and many tears were shed. It was a very trying time, but the Lord always gave comfort. He always provided.

Casey was finishing up his degree. He had worked hard for about four years, and finally, it was the end. He did it! In the spring, he was done. And he finished his Masters in Biblical Studies with straight A's. We made it through the long hours of study and writing to get to the end with minimal debt!

Also, about this time last year, Casey wrote and submitted his book. In this last year, the proposal was accepted, the book was written, and it was published. It is one of my favorite books, and I am really overjoyed to know that I am married to the man who wrote such an encouraging and gospel-filled book. To read the reviews that followed its publication, and hear the compliments and testimonies of it being a blessing, has been so encouraging to me. I am beyond grateful that my husband has had this experience, and I pray that he can do more and more like this.

In January my niece came home from Ethiopia. It was a long and wonderful journey to watch. Knowing that my own adoption in a little way inspired the adoption of this little girl thrills me to the core of my existence. She is beautiful. Her story is beautiful. God has poured out his most abundant grace on her life, and He gets all the glory!

About this time last year, we received the news that my mom was going to start a long health journey. Cancer was discovered, and although it looked very good, there was still a bit of a gnawing fear. No one wants to hear those words. No one wants to fight that fight. What followed in this year has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs of health-related issues. My mom went through 3 surgeries, was on several absences from work, and had medical bills piling one on top of another. The stress of getting well, and paying for the privilege of treatment to get well took a toll. But God always provided. He always gave her strength and faith. This Thanksgiving she is healthy and cancer free. Hallelujah! Our God is a good, good God!

This Thanksgiving, I am only working one day a week. My husband has a job that isn't the best, but we have health insurance. We have been able to get off of assistance, and I am home most of the time. I still need to be creative in how to support our family, but the stress and the burden of our situation a year ago is much much different.

That brings me to my last blessing, and that is hope for the future. We always have hope in Christ. He has gone before us. As a new year begins, so will a long awaited journey to add another to our family. God has been actively working in our hearts to bring us to where we are, and I believe with all my heart that His work isn't done. It won't be done til I see him in glory.