Easter Weekend

So, yeah, I took a week or so off from blogging, so this is a bit delayed. Not sure why I didn't blog, I just wasn't feeling it and was just focused on hanging out with my family. Sometimes you just gotta be in the moment, right? :)

On Saturday we went to my Grandma's retirement home for an Easter egg hunt. We had a good time visiting with Grandma and Hunter scored lots and lots of candy. He was pretty excited!!









On Saturday night, we went to Easter service at church. It was a great message and they had a guy share a his very moving testimony.

On Sunday, we got to relax in the morning. Hunter opened his Easter basket. I ran out to pick up some yummy doughnuts for breakfast and then got busy making a fruit salad and some rhubarb cupcakes for Easter dinner.

We headed out to my parents house. They had a ton of eggs hidden in the backyard for Hunter to find. My mom made our family a huge Easter basket full of goodies and we had a wonderful Easter dinner with family and friends.

Happy Easter!

He is risen!

Here is an Easter message from our pastor at Life Center in Tacoma.

A Much Needed Sunday at Church

I've mentioned a few times how sick I've been so far in this pregnancy. It's probably not a super legit reason, but it has kept me from church for the past six weeks or so. I have felt a lot better in the last week, so we made it to church this morning. I knew I was missing it, but I didn't know just how much until we walked into the door. My heart was so happy to be in a house of worship.

I don't know how many times I have heard people say "you don't have to go to church to be a Christian", almost exclusively from people who don't go to church. I'm not disagreeing with that statement, but I do feel like Christians need to feed our faith on a regular basis and be surrounded by other believers. I can attest to that because I felt a huge piece of me dwindling away over the last several weeks, but today I was restored. This is exactly why it is so important for Christians to go to church on a regular basis.

I found myself praying for Jesus to flood into my heart, to use me in whatever way was His will. The Holy Spirit is a miraculous things and can bring to strongest willed person to their knees and to be humbled by His grace.

So today I am so grateful to of felt well enough to of gotten there and to live in a country where I can openly share my faith and worship in a wonderful church.

Happy New Year!

2011 was an amazing year for our family, full of wonderful opportunities. 2012 will be the year of change for us. It will be a year of discovering ourselves in a new environment and in new roles. 2012 will bring us across the country, away from our families. It will mean Jesse will be home 95% of the time, instead of 50%. It will be a year of me adjusting to being a stay at home mom. It will also hopefully be the year that we conceive a second child.

I'm not a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions, but hey, why not?!

Relax and let God have control over our lives.

Get involved in a MOPS group at church.

Get back to being more active.

Eat a better diet that is full of protein and veggies.

Read more and watch TV less.

Love more and judge less.


What are your resolutions for the New Year?

Sacred Marriage: Chapter 3

It’s about that time again, actually even a day late, for chapter 3 of Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. This chapter is all about learning to love and how marriage teaches us how to do so. This chapter really challenged me and hit home.

Matthew 22:34-40 tells us that the most important things we must do is to love God AND love each other. This book talked about how marriage is the perfect place for us to learn how to love everyone. Marriage puts us in such close proximity to our spouse that we see all of their flaws and we still continue to love them and live our daily lives with them. “All Christians are God’s children; by loving others, we bring enormous pleasure to our heavenly Father.” This means our spouse, too. We aren’t called to show them love when they deserve it, earn it, or are doing what we feel like they should be doing. We owe all Christians our love no matter what.

Jesse and I struggle with this A LOT. I can say that we both love each other deeply and even madly, we don’t struggle with the feelings, we struggle with the actions. We both have a hard time showing our love for each other through our words and actions when we are not happen with what the other one is doing. We are both pretty strong minded people and tend to speak most things we are thinking or feeling. On one hand, I love our honesty with each other, but on the other, I know that we should be doing so in a more nurturing and caring way. Sometimes we both come across as more critical than caring. This is not right. “Love is patient, love is kind….” We both struggle with holding each other accountable in this patient and kind manner.

“Allow your marriage relationship to stretch your love and to enlarge your capacity for love – to teach you to be a Christian.” I love this challenge and call to our Christian duty. It is not a choice for Christians to show their spouse love and kindness, it’s what we are supposed to do. I also really liked that the book talked about not only showing our spouse love through spiritual means, but also trying to please them with “earthly” pleasures. When we go out of our way to please our spouse, it pleases God. That can look so different in so many different marriages. In mine, that may mean not complaining about Jesse leaving to go hunting for the weekend, packing his lunch, or doing the “maritals” even when I’m not in the mood. ;) In doing so, I’m not only pleasing Jesse, but most importantly, I’m pleasing my Savior and Creator.

I am going to accept this chapter as a personal challenge.

Sacred Marriage: Chapter 2

I left out some details of the group that I joined up with, last time I blogged about the first chapter of Sacred Marriage. Jennifer over at Knee Keep in Munchkin Land, is hosting this book study for more than thirty of us women. We are doing a chapter every other week for 26 weeks, and sharing our insights through our blog posts. Go check out Jennifer’s site, if you’d like to find other bloggers posts dedicated to this book study.

I love that this chapter really focused on the fact that our God is a God of reconciliation. I know that I often look at myself and how often I fail miserably in bringing glory to God…and he still forgives me and reconciles with me. Shouldn’t we try to be more Christ-like in our marriages? Our Father does not keep a record of all the times we have “wronged” him, and maybe we should try our best to do the same in our marriages. This is a hard one for me, but one that I strive to be better about. When we forgive one another, we bring joy to our Father. And the purpose of marriage is more about doing that than bringing joy to ourselves or even to each other.

“In a man-centered view, we will maintain our marriage as long as our earthly comforts, desires, and expectations are met. In a God-centered view, we preserve our marriage because it brings glory to God and points a sinful world to a reconciling Creator.”



It’s also pointed out that keeping a Christian marriage together is a duty, not a choice. I get it, marriage is hard, but the number one purpose of our marriage needs to come first. We cannot call a marriage a Christian one and just hope that it’s what it turns out to be, it's got to be in the forefronts of our minds. We have to live it and it’s HARD! Jesse and I both really struggle with this. This is constantly on my mind during disagreements… I think to myself “Are my reactions and words Christ based, or Stephanie based?” Ehhh, unfortunately 90% of the time I am ashamed of the answer to my question, and then I am again humbled by God's grace and reconcilation with me.

Sacred Marriage: Chapter 1

A couple weeks ago, I joined a virtual bible study with a group of fellow bloggers. The book chosen is, Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. It’s an incredible thing, to get together with a bunch of strangers, who have a common belief and faith, and to get to know them. The group has been so active in discussion, prayer requests, and introductions.




Chapter 1:
The main idea of the book is: “What if God designed marriage to make up holy more than to make us happy?” The book states that it’s not a self help type of book that’s purpose is to offer help to get to a more pleasurable marriage, instead it’s a book that offers insight on how to accept the trials that we go through in our marriages as a way to become closer with our heavenly Father.

Marriage is tough. I have a hard time believing anyone who says differently. My experience so far, is that it is a lot harder than parenthood. It is two adults vowing to live a life in unison. We must come to the same decision on all major life choices. What other relationship in our lives do we have to do this? With our family and friends, we can just “agree to disagree” on subjects, intimate marriages don’t work like that. Are we going to “agree to disagree” on the way our children will be raised, how we are going to live out our faith, where we are going to live, what financial decisions will be made, etc. I would sure hope not! These are the things that successful marriages have to come to terms with and work together on! It’s tough, but getting to the same place with these decisions and having discussions is part of what makes marriages strong.

The chapter goes on the talk about romance and how it’s a recently developed concept. I think that the main concept of this book seems very unromantic. Aren’t good marriages supposed to be the ones where the husband and wife still look longingly into each other’s eyes and profess deep love to each other on a minutely basis? Ha! Romantic love doesn’t usually stay in a relationship forever. Sure there are probably moments of romance in every marriage, but it’s not a continuous outpouring of gushiness. If we marry simply for those romantic feelings, we would have to throw in the towel every couple of years and find a new partner, who can fulfill that need, and in turn the new partner could perhaps provide that for a few years, and then what?

We have seen several of our friends go through divorces and on the outside it just looks like they gave up when the honeymoon period ended, and they didn’t make their marriage intimate with a “deeper” love. So, they all moved on the find “new” love.
I pray that Jesse and I continue to have an intimate marriage. I want a marriage that we can admit our flaws to each other and reach out for help and accountability. One in which we can honor, cherish, and respect each other. Marriage is so hard because it involves complete honesty. Jesse and I still get offended by each other’s brutal honesty, but I would rather be offended than to have a surface level relationship that doesn’t involve knowing exactly how my partner feels or what his opinions are about me or my actions. It hurts sometimes, but I know that it brings me closer in my walk with Christ.

I really appreciated the story in this chapter when it talks about the woman “is finding out little by little that she is capable of hating her husband, who she loves faithfully. She can hate him at times as fiercely and mysteriously, indeed in terribly much the same way, as often she hated her parents, her brothers and sisters, whom she loves, when she was a child…” The book says that this is the “reality of living as sinful human beings in a radically broken world.” There are times when I feel hate towards Jesse and I want to pull my hair out when dealing with him. I’m sure he feels the same way about me just as often if not more. J It’s my own sinful nature that allows me to feel like this. I absolutely always love Jesse; I even adore him 99% of the time. And I have to admit, the times of not liking him, used to scare me. Now, I just kind of accept it as part of a marriage that will last forever. Marriage isn’t supposed to be easy or smooth; it’s supposed to be forever.

I Got Baptized!

I thought last night was going to be a normal Saturday night at church. But boy, did God have different plans for me! Pastor Dean greeted Hunter and I as we walked in church, I took Hunter to the nursery, and then my friend, Shyla and I found a place to sit.

The worship was moving. But it was Pastor Dean's message that spoke right to my heart. He talked about being baptized. That salvation was not dependent on it, but God does ask for us to do it. It's an outward sign of our commitment to serve Christ.

Let me back up... I was baptized as an infant in the Lutheran church. I have felt a desire to be baptized as an adult for a couple years now. I just have never done it. I never really pursued finding out when the next baptisms at church were and it always seemed like it would be hard to find a time when Jesse would be there as well. I even had a conversation with Jesse at one point asking him to get baptized with me, but he has already been baptized as a teenager and didn't have a need to do it again. Okay, I'll do it someday, just not now.

Okay, back to last night. Pastor Dean talked about Jesus people who still had not been baptized. He said that believing was the first assignment from God and baptism was the second. I took it as, I had not fulfilled my second assignment, which was preventing me from future assignments. My heart was on fire. I knew immediately that I was going to be baptized that night. He went on to talk about how he had seen people walk through the front door with their children that night with a heart for Jesus, but had not be baptized. Hey, that was me and Hunter!! Right?! How did he know I hadn't been baptized?!

In my head I was thinking, how can I get baptized tonight? Jesse isn't here. I am wearing white shorts! And then Pastor Dean said something to the affect of making excuses, such as not wearing the right clothing or family and friends not being there to witness the event. Straight to my heart. I already knew earlier in the service that I would get baptized, but now I knew without a doubt that God was pushing me, gently nudging me. It was time for me to obey.

Towards to end of the service, the Pastor asked people to bow their heads, close their eyes, and raise their hands if they wanted to give their life to God. I prayed for those people who were making that decision that night. And then he asked for those who were already Jesus people that hadn't been baptized to stand up. I felt a sense of boldness overcome me. There was no self consciousness or worry, I immediately stood up without hesitation. I raised my hands to the Lord and I gave him my whole self. With loving hands praying over me, I committed to not withhold any part of me from the Lord.

There was a baptism tank outside where people were directed to. That is where I was baptized and declared my love for Jesus. It could not of been more perfect. Not if it was planned, or Jesse was there, or I was wearing a swimsuit under my clothing. It was in God's time which was the perfect time.

What Would it Be Like...

If we gave God full control over our lives? What if we didn't worry about a thing because we had enough faith to believe in every word He has told us?

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

Would our lives be drastically different if we trusted the Lord with all of our heart? There would be very little stress, if any. We would pray about problems or future decisions instead of internalizing them and worrying ourselves sick about them. Our lives would be full of freedom and less of anxiety.

What if we gave God full control over our finances? Our society worries so much about having more and more money and objects. What if we consistently have God ten percent of what HE has given us in the first place and then gave even more when our hearts were pulled in that direction? Something tells me that we would have even more if we did this.

This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I have given God a lot of control in my life, but have I given Him complete control? Not so much. My prayers lately have revolved greatly around this. I want to be so faithful that at times it might look neglectful to the naked eye. I would love to not worry or to try to control my life myself. I would love to get to the point where I give when I have nothing left to give.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

Thankful Thursday

It's been a few weeks since I did a Thankful Thursday post, but I think it's so good to sit down every once in awhile and really think about what you are thankful in your life at that point in time. This week, I am linking up with Undeserving Grace.

Things I am especially grateful for this week:

1. Being able to Skype with my husband a few times

2. My amazing parents who have been so good to me this week. They made it possible for me to run three times this week by walking Hunter while I ran, took such great care of Hunter while I was at work this week, and they also had me over for a couple ah-mazing dinners!

3. My son who is growing into a polite little guy. He has been using his please and thank you's like a pro this week! Sometimes he gets a little confused and says "You're welcome" instead of "Thank you", but hey, the thought is there! Love it!

4. The C25K program. I started running again this week and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to pick up where I left off at Week 5. Not in running shape? Check out the program, it's great!

5. Being able to have a serious disagreement with Jesse over the phone today without either one of us raising our voices or getting defensive. We have some very serious decisions to make in the next six months about our future and even though as of right now we disagree, I know that we will be able to come to an agreement eventually without disrespecting each other.

6. Hearing Hunter begin to sing some of the lyrics to "Our God", whenever it comes on in the car, he shouts out "Our God" and has even said "Our God izzz stronger". Can't wait to see this little boy to grow into a man of God!

He's Ready for Discipline

Last night I realized that Hunter and I are ready for a new dynamic in our parent/child relationship. Hunter was playing with his toys in the living room while I was matching clean socks on the couch. He came running at me and before I got the chance to glance up, he had hit me in the face with his toy screw driver. It wasn't a tap... He hit me full force. This was new, he had never done anything so aggressive towards another person.

I took a hold of his arm and told him sternly, "We do not hit. Be gentle." and then I gave him a spanking on his bottom. ( I did not hit him hard, but just hard enough for him to know that it was not a positive thing.) His lower lip immediately pouted. We were right next to his little chair, so I told him to go sit in his chair.

What happened next was both heart breaking and inspiring. He went right over to his chair and sat down. Tears started streaming down his face, but there was no crying or yelling that usually accompany them. He just sat there calmly, but sadly. Of course, as a mother, I Hated to see my son sad. But, on the other hand, isn't that the very reaction that we hope our children have when being disciplined? He obeyed my instruction, he didn't throw a tantrum, and he seemed to understand that his actions were not acceptable.

After a minute, I extended my arms to him and he quickly got up to be embraced. I held him tight and told him I loved him and want him to be gentle with other people. And then I just held him, prayed over him, and thanked God for such an amazing little man that I had been given.

That experience was my first with disciplining him with more than a stern "no" or "don't touch" or a very brief and unsuccessful timeout. It gave me the wisdom to know that he is ready for a more mature approach and that he is capable of understanding. It gave me hope that I won't have to constantly discipline, but when I do, I have the tools to be able to do it effectively.

*My way of disciplining are not directly from "Parenting By the Book" by John Rosemond, but has been a huge source of reference and guidance to me.

**I'm very aware that many people have opposing views regarding discipline, but please keep in mind that we all have different ways to raise our children and I can assure you that I am not hurting my child.

He Is Risen!

As a Jesus family, Easter is a day we celebrate with such joy. Jesus is ALIVE! Praise God. We do not worship a dead man, Jesus is truly alive and lives within us.

Happy Easter!

Take it to the Lord.

Between last weeks sermon about using our words as blessings to others and this week's chapter in my weekly devotional about God being so faithful and forgiving, the idea of taking everything to the Lord first, has come to me.

Our God is stronger than our family and friends. He can handle our negative and mean thoughts a 100% better than they can. God does not expect us to be perfect and I do think it's very normal to have angry and bitter feelings at times. I pray that I learn to take these thoughts to the Lord instead of lashing out at my husband, venting with a co-worker, or growing impatient with friends. God is not worn down by these things like our family and friends are.

If I can do this more often, I think my personal relationship with God will grow and also my relationship with others, especially my husband, will grow as well. It is silly, but when I go to God, it is usually to praise him or to ask for help when I have a need or someone else is hurting or going through a rough time. I rarely go to him because I am mad or frustrated with the daily things in life. I take it out on my husband or I vent to other people close to me. The words I speak to them at those times, are not blessings, they are negative and drag them down in the process.

Some of our thoughts are not meant to be said aloud. I am ashamed that I let one of these thoughts out of my mouth a couple weekends ago when having a disagreement with Jesse. It hurt him, it hurt me, and there was no good that came out of it. I should have taken it to the Lord, and only Him. God is strong enough to be my very best friend regardless how much I pour out to Him and how incredibly selfish and sinful my thoughts can be at times. He loves me anyways and will lead me in the right direction. He knows my heart and will not take offense or misunderstand my meaning or intentions.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5

Self Esteem Vs. Self Respect

I have been reading the book "Parenting by The Book" by John Rosemond. I'm about a third of the way through the book and absolutely love it. It is written by a physiologist that is a born again Christian.

He's got me convinced that Postmodern Psychological Parenting is a bunch of... well, crap! Nowadays, there are all these guidelines. Don't punish your children, simply reward with good behave. Have a democratic family where children and parents are peers. Children act out because of how they were treated as a child. Don't bruise a child's self esteem, it is the most important thing for a child to grow up to be a successful adult. The list goes on and on. I can't stand these ideas.

Children are children, parents are parents... it is not an equal relationship! We are called to guide our children and raise them into followers of Christ. Children are born sinful, just like we were. It is the job of the parent to discipline them and have harsh enough consequences so that they do not repeat the negative behavior.

Self esteem boils down to love of one's self. I do not find this an important thing to ingrain in a child, in fact, it does them a disservice. Self esteem is what breeds selfishness, entitlement, and aggression. It leads individuals to look to be served rather than to serve others.

Self respect on the other hand is developed by treating others well,serving people regardless of who they are, and being humbled. It involves respecting others and knowing that you are doing the right thing. Success for someone with high self respect is less about material objects and more about loving your neighbor. Jesus told his disciples that they must first "deny himself" in order to become a true follower of his. It's not all about us, it's all about Him! "For everyone who exalts himself with be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:11

This was a great eye opener for me in the way that I want to parent and also what I strive to become myself. I want to parent Hunter in a way that teaches him to respect his parents and all other authority figures, teach him to serve others before himself, and also accountability for his own actions. That might mean that I need to spank my child, bruise his ego, and in turn be criticized by other parents. But I say bring it on, Jesse and I are called to a duty of raising our children in a way that glorifies His name.

How He Loves Us

I love this song and had to share it with everyone. This song always seems to move me. He loves us so much and is so faithful. I cannot even think about this truth without getting choked up. I am so undeserving, so sinful, and so unfaithful. How did I deserve for HIM to die on the cross for MY sins?

My little brother wrote a beautiful post that really touched me. Go check it out: Entitlement or Thankfulness I am so proud of my brother and his incredible faith.

Living an Uncommon Life

At church last night, I was moved by the sermon. The idea was that in order to accomplish uncommon things in your life, you must be willing to live an uncommon life. Jesus was the truest example of this notion. He did not do things the way people around him did things, he didn’t speak “safe” speeches, he didn’t speak them at the “appropriate” times, and he didn’t give these speeches to the people you would have suspected. He lived an uncommon life in order to accomplish extraordinary accomplishments. What a perfect role model for us in every aspect.

Sometimes is hard to do the uncommon instead of the common or popular thing to do. Sometimes I feel isolated in our group of friends because of our choice to spend Saturday nights at church, refrain from using bad language, to limit our alcohol consumption, etc. It makes us the “uncool” ones. I struggle with all these things and occasionally I fail. I am a sinner, but I have a desire to grow to be more and more Christ like. I want to live an incredible life that inspires hearts to soften and unbelievers to believe and this takes stepping outside of the box and saying and doing uncomfortable things. It may even mean being an outsider sometimes most of the time.

The pastor gave three steps to live an uncommon life:
• Say uncommon truths
• Go at uncommon times
• Have uncommon targets

I didn’t sleep very well last night, I was in deep thought. What do these steps mean and what would they look like in my life? I can tell you about a time in the past when I invited an ex-boss who was as vulgar and nasty as they come, to Easter service at our church, while I was at work. What was the outcome? He didn’t say anything at the time. The day I put in my resignation, he came to me with huge tears in his eyes and thanked me for caring about such a jerks salvation. He said that it meant the world to him. Wow! What a risk to invite him but such an amazing outcome.
I wish I had more stories about when I took a risk, but sadly I don’t take that leap of faith very often. I am usually scared that I will offend someone. I prayed last night that God would give me the courage to live this way more often and the faith to continue to do so even when faced with rejection and isolation. We were created to live an uncommon life!

Nativity Scene

This is the beautiful Willow Tree Nativity Scene that my mom surprised me with last Christmas. I was so excited and love it so much that I need to make a confession. Whispers I leave it up all year. We keep in on the top of a tall bookshelf in our living area. I only turn the spot lights on it during the holiday season though.

Hunter has taken an extreme liking to it in the last couple weeks. Most days after after a long day at work, we get home, and Hunter starts pointing up to it. So, I scoop him up and bring him to eye level with the beautiful scene. He knows that he can't hold the characters, but I take them out individually and he touches them gently. When I take them out one by one I tell him the name of it and also try to think of a fun story or facts about them.

I would love to say that all his interest lies in the little Baby Jesus, but that would not be the truth. He is obsessed with the sheep. Every time I pick up a new object he just point and says "seep, seep" (Translation: "Sheep, Sheep") Every once in awhile he will even throw in a "Baa, Baa".

Anyways, I have heard that for small children, one of the earliest ways for them to understand Jesus, Joseph, and Mary is through a nativity scene. For that reason, I am so happy to leave the scene out all year so that hopefully he will continue to show interest and one day understand the importance of our Savior, Baby Jesus.

We Don't Want Blessings We Want You

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was very thankful that Jesse made it home for the holiday. We went to church on Thanksgiving morning. We sang the song Open Up the Sky by Deluge. The chorus of the song goes:

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don't want blessings, we want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don't want anything but You

This hit me. The thought of not desiring blessings, only desiring Him. Such a powerful message. I am often hoping for wonderful things to happen to our family and less often just wanting Him. It doesn't matter what our earthly lives have in store for us, as long as we have God in our lives, we have an internal life that is full of the biggest treasure every imagined.

Check it out:



Also at church, Jesse got asked during the middle of service to come up on the stage in front of 500+ people. Jesse looked a little panicked, to say the least. Pastor Dean asked him questions about his military service and also asked him what he was most thankful for that day. Jesse, being the good husband he is, he said he was most thankful for his wife. Awwwww! So sweet, until the pastor asked me to stand up in the congregation, I think I turned 10 shades of red. But... we got through it.

After church, we headed over the my parents house and had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner full of family, friends, and delicious food.



My little brother, Brandon, and his amazingly sweet fiance, Jennifer.



My nephew and niece Gabe and Grace.



Hunter and Jesse



My parents working hard at making Thanksgiving dinner.

Freedom Through Faith

Over the last few months, in my walk with God, a sense of freedom has overcome me. For those who know me, you probably also know that I tend to be somewhat of a control freak and also a major planner. I have been freed of my anxiety through my faith. I know that my thoughts are not His thoughts, and no matter how much I try to control, I need to release all control to Him. He knows what is best, I do not. All I can do is remain faithful to Him and trust Him and let everything else fall into place.

He has never promised a trouble free life, but He does offer the strength and determination to get through anything and everything that we face. He also takes those burdens off our shoulders and happily puts them upon His. “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” Psalm 55:22.

In our family, our future is uncertain. Jesse has a little over a year left before his second enlistment in the Air Force is over. We can get orders at any time to move wherever we are told to. This used to be a huge stress on me. When I take this burden on myself I worry about owning two homes in this economy, that I won’t have a job where we move, for the first time in my life I will be far away from my family and friends, the list goes on and on. I can honestly say I have cast this care upon Him. I am not at all worried about our future, because I trust that He has wonderful plans for our future and they are so much more perfect than anything I could plan or prepare for.

To others, He has so much freedom to offer. He can take away any struggle with addiction, loss of a loved one, emotional and psychological bondage, job loss, marriage problems, and the list goes on and on. It is not weak to cry out to Him, it is strength!