He loves us Bigger than the Sky...

It's a Special Day...February 2, 2012

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Iola & Frank Morris

with baby Wanda Jean 1943

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Mom...

Thinking about what a gift you are to me and so many others!

May you feel the love and thoughts of many today.

Enjoy your day!

You are Special today and everyday!

Love it when you come to visit...

One of our favorite things to do: Enjoy going to tea houses...

You have such a beautiful Smile...

I love you Bigger than the Sky!

Love,

Shelley

Kaylee turns "22"

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

My niece Kaylee turns 22 today! It feels like it was just yesterday when my Sis would bring Kaylee to meet me for lunch when I worked at UC Irvine. Kaylee is all girl! Loves accessories! Loves to plan her outfits! Loves to get manicures and pedicures! Loves to have things to look forward to!

Kaylee is just a few months old here...wearing an outfit I got her!

Enjoying my lunch hour with her at the UC Irvine Arboretum

Kaylee and I all dressed up at a friend's wedding...

Kaylee's Beautiful Wedding Day!

(all grown up)

Happy Birthday Kaylee!

May this 22nd year be blessed with God's promises and plans He has for you. I am so excited to see what is in store for this year. May you continue to fall in love with Jesus more and more each day!

We love you Bigger than the Sky!

Love,

Aunt Sis

My little place of my own...

2012-01-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

Oh so nice to have a place of my own...a place where I can dream and imagine! A place where I can pray for others and believe for answers. A place that says, "Shelley" all over it! We need places like this in our mind and in our heart. Where in the middle of chaos and noise we can close our eyes and picture Jesus sitting next to us. Where we can be quiet and still and Know that He is God!

On one of my little daily flip calendars it says, "Security is not the absence of danger, it is the presence of God." Wow isn't that true? Anywhere the presence of God is we can feel safe. Knowing He is right there with us!

So thankful for the Hope we have in Jesus! Thankful that he created us to dream and imagine all the things he would have us to be and do in this life! We are the ones who place limits on ourselves not Him.

Oh how I love how He knows me so well! He created me to worship Him! I see God in the details of life. In flowers, in landscape, in the sky, in situations that sometimes seem to hard for me, in people that have touched my life in one way or another, in music, in quiet places and times and in the loud places too!

Take time to imagine your happy place! Dwell with Him there! Invite Him into all the dreams you have! He desires them for you too!

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV

Landon turns "19" tomorrow on January 2nd...

2012-01-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Thinking about this weekend nineteen years ago...Larry was watching football, Chase was playing with his toys. I was having contractions...they were getting closer and closer. In the meantime I am telling Larry I think we should go to the hospital. He kept saying one more play, one more play. As in he was watching a football game lol! Sure enought we arrived to Kaiser in Anaheim Hills, CA with 20 minutes to spare. Our dear friends The Price family met up with us in the parking lot and got Chase from us so he could stay with them while I was having Landon! We are so proud of Landon. It has been an awesome nineteen years. He was born on a Saturday! Now that I think of it, of course he was. He loves the weekends! So thankful he loves the Lord with all of his heart and knows how to enjoy life!

Happy Birthday to my Lil Sis "Laura Lee"

2011-10-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

Through the years the five year age difference between my Sis and I seems to grow closer and closer. When we were little it felt like I was so much older than her or that she was so much younger than I. Crazy how now as we are both adults and now both share the same decade things feel different. I learn so much from her. She is a great cook! She is an awesome Mom to her kids. She loves her family and she is great at her multiple businesses that she manages and runs.

She loves to laugh and it is contagious! She is thoughtful of others. She can whip up a meal with-in minutes and it tastes like I have been to a Bistro.

So proud of her! She is so amazing! I now look up to her!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Love you Bigger than the Sky!

Love,

Sis

Grandma Hazel Smith 1913-2011

2011-10-04T01:47:00.000-07:00

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"Choose Joy"

2011-09-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

By: Sara Frankl from her blog @ www.glitzengirl.blogspot.com (from October 10, 2010)

And then she asked the question that so many of you email and ask me:

“How do you manage to stay so positive? So happy? Don’t you ever just get really mad?”

I suppose the cop out answer, while true, is that I just don’t have the energy to be mad. Seriously. It takes so much effort and energy to wallow. And it’s not any fun. I live 99.8% of my time alone, and if anger was all I had to live with I would lose my mind.

I think, for me, it has been about learning to want what He wants for me more than what I want for myself.It's a tall order and I don't say that flippantly. But my joy has truly come from Him finding His joy in me rather than me finding my joy in what I desire. It doesn't mean I don't long for different, it just means I find peace in fulfilling rather than understanding. In the knowledge that this life isn’t about me, it’s about Him.

The thing I try to remind myself of, as I am without all the things that I wish I had to make me happy, is that my biggest need is Him. More than I need to be outside in the fresh air, more than I need to move without pain, more than I even need Dad... I need His will to be done in my life whether it is comfortable or not. There is not one thing that feels comfortable about my world right now, but I need Him more than I need to change my circumstances.

It's still brutally hard. I have to remind myself of these facts every day. It doesn’t always come easily.

But it doesn’t make the truth any less true.

And the truth is that I can choose the joy.

So I do.

Me: Shelley - I want what Sara talks about above. I want to Choose Joy! I need Jesus more than anything!

May you be blessed by Sara Frankl and may her words challenge you in your faith.

Common Sense a lost gift in many peoples lives...

2011-09-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

My friend recently emailed this little obituary to me about Common Sense. I thought it was worth re-posting here on my blog. Let's try to re-gift the gift of Common Sense to others. Let's pray that it will spread like fire in this present generation of our children and our future children's children. Somehow so many parents have pulled away from instilling in their children while raising them.

An Obituary printed in the London Times.....Absolutely Brilliant !!!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense , who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;

- Why the early bird gets the worm;

- Life isn't always fair;

- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights

I Want It Now

Someone Else Is To Blame

I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Happy Birthday Leanne...

2011-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Leanne

I had so much fun celebrating your 40th Birthday with you! Of lifes' special moments this is one of the days that I especially wished I lived closer. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated and I would love to be there this weekend to have fun with you.

May your weekend be a time of reflecting of all the great things God has done. May He continue to bless you with the desires and dreams of your heart.

Have a Happy Birthday my friend!

Married to my Best Friend for 28 years!

2011-09-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Two kids crazy about each other! Me "18" and Larry "19" here in this engagement picture.

On our wedding day Larry and I were so excited to begin our lives together. Larry turned "20" about two weeks before we were married. Neither one of us had a dependable car to go on a honeymoon with and we were too young to rent a car. So our dear friend who had a very nice new Honda Accord graciously lent it to us so we could go up the coast.

God really has blessed me with the desires of my heart as it talks about in Psalm 37:4. I claimed this verse long before Larry and I were married. Over and over again along this 28 year adventure God has continued to bless me with my desires. I am thankful to be married to my best friend.

My husband is the "rock" in our family. He keeps everything running smoothly in our home. He is a man of wisdom who loves the Lord with all of his heart! He is slow to speak. (I am not, lol!) He is an amazing Dad to our two sons Chase and Landon.

I look forward to many more years with Larry in our adventure together!

I love him more than life itself!

September 10, 1983

A lovely day...

2011-09-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Some days it's nice when everything else stops and we can take the time to join in someone else's celebration. Last year in August our niece Tabitha got married in Washington state. We traveled up for the wedding and met up with our in-laws on August 21st, 2010.

Little did I know that this would be the last time I would see my mother-n-law Norma in a "happy state" of mind and no significant illness that I was aware of. She was so excited to be at her grand-daughter's wedding. You could see the joy on her face.

This summer a about a year later we got a call that Norma was not doing to well. Her health had taken a drastic turn for the worse. She was needing medical attention and needed someone to look after her 24/7. We had the blessing of getting to be down in Southern California about the time all of this was taking place so we were able to spend some time with her. We were able to hold conversations with her and we were able to hug her and tell that we loved her on Friday, the 29th of July. We had told her we would be back to visit. By Sunday when we returned Norma's condition had changed even more since the two days prior. It was so hard to see how fast her condition was changing for the worse.

This week my husband traveled down south to see his Mom. This was very hard for him as he knew this may be the last time he sees her. He had some much needed time and conversations with his brothers.While Larry was gone I have had the last few days to ponder my relationship with her over the past 28+ years. I was thinking about how many of her gifts to me have been things that she has made, sewed, embroidered, crocheted etc. At the time she gave them to me I was thankful for them but I don't think I really appreciated them like I do now. I now realize that they were made with love.

Sometimes I allowed our differences to get in the way. She was not an easy person to understand. She was not an easy person to please. Often times I could not meet her expectations of how she wanted things to go. I would sometimes allow this to cloud my motives and my thinking. I wish I would have accepted our differences and put more effort into loving her anyways.

This I do know about my mother-n-law: She loves her family. She loves her sons' and her grand-kids. She loves nothing more than time with them and having pictures of them. My husband Larry is her 3rd born son.

She is now getting ready to meet her Father in heaven. Her time here on earth will soon come to an end. I pray that she will be greeted with the Father's loving arms and we will meet up with her again someday.

A room of my own...I have waited a long time for this.

2011-09-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

Just the beginning...

Being the Mom of two sons has been a wonderful thing! They are now 18 and 20. My niece recently got married and moved out into her and her hubby's place. I can now think about creating a place of my own. A peaceful and quiet space. A place where I can think and process many of the oh so daily stuff. I didn't realize how much I needed this.

I feel like a little girl! Nothing really matches exactly (which I love)! I have blended a little of this and a little of that. Most of the things have been second-hand finds, home-made gifts received through the years etc.

A few things here are waiting to find their home on the wall.

I found this lovely desk on Craigslist...(exactly what I was imagining), maple chair discover at the Goodwill store, just needed a quick face lift with a can of Ivory spray paint and I found the perfect quilted rose printed chair pad on my recent visit to Ross.

A view from the closet side of the room...

Hand-stitched throw pillows, embroidered pillow cases (by my mother-n-law Norma) are just a few of the things on the bed along with my dear Yorkie "Starbuck" who has already managed to find a comfy place to take a nap.

I am thankful for the simple things that bring joy in the daily...

Be watching for more updates on the room soon!

Happy Birthday to my Husband & Best Friend for life...

2011-08-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

My hubby turns 48 on August 26th, 2011

So fun celebrating his birthday each year! Leanne I wish you lived closer so I could order his Carrot Cake from you! My baked cakes just never come out quite like yours. It is kind of funny in that all year Larry thought he was already 48 and turning 49! I revealed to him a few weeks ago the good news that "no, you are 47 turning 48! Imagine that! Finding out you will be a whole year younger than you thought! Now I think that is a good thing!

Kiddo,

May this year be a year of new things and blessings from the Lord!

May you experience a year like never before as you walk in the path He has planned for you!

I pray for your Health to be renewed and that the

Joy of the Lord

will continually be your Strength!

Nehemiah 8:10

Happy 48th Birthday!

I love you Bigger than the Sky!

Kiddo

Perfect Peace...

2011-07-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this scene look like a postcard? This was literally just a few yards outside of the little place we stayed in at Sea Ranch. The scenery around us was so peaceful. This was taken about 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon.

Those peaceful days we all wish could and would last forever.

It says in

Isaiah 26:3-4

(ESV)

³ You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

⁴Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Wow! Perfect peace if we keep our mind on Jesus! What does perfect peace look like? For me when I think of peace I think of my heart and mind being at a quiet still place. Not worrying continually. My focus is centered on Christ even while chaos is going on all around me. Even when things don't make sense I just know things are going to be okay because my hope is in the Lord.

The enemy's goal is to rob us of our peace. He wants us to forget where our strength comes from. He likes to stir up anxiousness in our hearts and minds. He wants us to waste our days worrying about tomorrow.

I want to get more of God's word in me so that I am prepared ahead of time when those things that are hard to deal with come my way.

Colossians 3:15

(ESV)

¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
I believe if we continually commit our heart to the Lord there will always be room for him to consume it with his peace.

He is able to do Exceedingly Abundantly...

2011-07-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

This was the view from our master bedroom window when we lived in our home in Crowley Lake, CA (about 12 miles out of Mammoth Lakes, CA). My husband Larry and I would get our morning cup of coffee and just enjoy the mornings looking out the window. The mornings were quiet and still. Such a perfect view of God's creation. When I would stare at His creation it would remind me that there is nothing our God cannot do.

Paul wrote this encouraging letter to the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 3:14 -21

14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family^cin heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

This is the Day the Lord has made...

2011-07-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

Love how God gives us a new day everyday!

Each morning we can choose to live that day for the Lord!

Kind of reminds me of a song I used to sing when I was a kid at church camps.

Love Him in the morning, when you see the sun arising,
Love Him in the evening 'cause He took you through the day,
And in the in-between time when you feel the pressure coming,
Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay.
When you think you have to worry,
'Cause the things you have to do,
Remember He's not in a hurry,
He's always got time for You,
So... Love Him....

(from 1972)

But as for me and my house...Joshua 24:15

2011-07-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

If you were to talk with a few of my family members or friends who are like family...they would agree with me that I have had more than the average amount of addresses in our 27 + years of being married.

Each address holds a special place in my heart. We have had the blessing of meeting so many wonderful people at each place. God assigned those specific people he wanted us to meet at the specific time he knew we would be living there.

No matter where we have lived we have always made the choice to declare:

"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

What a peace in knowing that Lord lives in us and we take him with us where-ever we go! That saying, like I heard recently from one of my friends' blogs "Where-ever you are Be there!" Is so true! Sometimes we can get in a habit of living in a place as if it is temporary. So we don't make friends, we just keep to ourselves because in our mind when we move to that home or that city then we will put down roots and invest in the lives of others. More and more each day I am reminded that this world is not our home. We are just merely passing through. Pray that the Lord would use your family as an example of God's love in your neighborhood. Pray that you might be a link to bringing them to the Lord.

What Station are you waiting for?

2011-07-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am posting one of my favorite poems today by: Robert J. Hastings. I read this poem several years ago. I often think about it. So many times I find myself forgetting to live and enjoy the "present." So often times I live in the future. I heard someone say recently that it is easy to "Trust God with our Future, but not so easy to Trust Him with our Present circumstances etc." For me this is so true.

I want God to find me trusting in Him, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. That is how I want to really live! God cares about what causes me concern today!

When I was a young Mom of two boys with lots of energy I thought those days were going to last forever. Guess what? They didn't. Now my sons' are 18 and 20. If you are a young Mom I encourage you to enjoy your little ones. Talk with them about Jesus in the morning, at lunch time, in the car, while waiting in line etc. Play with them on the floor. Tickle them and giggle! I know you have a million things to do but those dishes in the sink and the laundry will still be there after you grab those little daily moments.

If you find yourself driving your kids from point A to point B and back again. Seize those opportunities while you have them captive in the car. It is interesting how topics of conversation come up so much easier in the car. Encourage them, tell them you are excited about what God is accomplishing in their life etc. As they step out of the car tell them you love them and are praying for them.

Before you know it your kids will be young adults. I am finding that I am actually drawn to pray for my sons' more than ever before. Praying for God to guide them with His leading, protection and wisdom in the daily choices they find themselves in. Somehow a part of my "Station Mentality" I thought my mother role would kind of end when they reached young adult-hood. It does change a lot that's for sure. But now I am realizing my role as a mom just shifts to praying more and trying to speak less.

If for some reason you have kind of been waiting for the station, I pray that the poem below will give you an excitement for living today.

The True Joy of Life is the Trip

THE STATION

By Robert J. Hastings

TUCKED AWAY in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent. We're traveling by passenger train, and out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls, of biting winter and blazing summer and cavorting spring and docile fall.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. There will be bands playing and flags waving. And once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true. So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damming the minutes for loitering, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

When we get to the station that will be it!" we cry. Translated it means, "When I'm 18 that will be it! When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it! When I put the last kid through college that will be it! When I have paid off the mortgage that will be it! When I win a promotion that will be it! When I reach the age of retirement that will be it! I shall live happily ever after!"

Unfortunately, once we get "it," then "it" disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. Rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

(This version of "The Station" made its first debut in Ann Landers' Column on May 17, 1981.)

"Dear Ann Landers: I wrote a little essay that appeared in theIllinois Baptist and I am sending it to you with permission to share it with your readers if you wish." Robert J. Hastings, Editor.

"Dear Robert Hastings: It's a beauty. Thank you for sending it on." Ann Landers.

A bird's view of things...

2011-07-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

On a weekend in Sea Ranch our family was walking around the quaint little town. I looked up and happened to see this little guy sitting on top of his house. I love birds & I love bird-houses. I love how they can make their home just about anywhere.

God tends to talk a lot about birds in His word. He talks about doves, eagles, ravens and many more. I read in Psalm 50:1 where it says He knows all of the birds of the mountains... Imagine that?

In Matthew 10:29 it says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father."

He gave each bird variety their own attributes:

The Eagle: keen eyesight

Dove: harmless & peaceful

Sparrows: flock together & will gather in thousands to protect their territory

Finches: they love to sing & sociable

Ravens: plunder and seize

We can learn so much from the birds. I want to have their view of things. I want to have keen eyesight into what God sees in me and those around me. I want to be peaceful. I want to join hands with fellow believers and pray for God's direction and protection over the territory he has placed us in. I want to sing to the Lord more. I want to be friendly and I want others to see Jesus living in me. I want to seize the daily opportunities the Lord provides to me.

His word says...

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?

Matthew 6:26

Time to enter a new door...

2011-07-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Pictures for me create a curiosity for me sometimes. For example the doors in this picture. Where is the setting of this picture? What city is it in? Who lives behind the door etc.?

Sometimes I have a curiosity about some doors I have not entered due to fear of the unknown. I have been feeling a tug of curiosity in my heart lately. What new doors would the Lord have me enter and what old doors would he have me close? I think sometimes I get so familiar with the doors I frequently enter (figuratively speaking) that I don't even ask my self why? for how long? when did I arrive here? etc.

Just like there are the four seasons I believe the Lord has seasons for our lives.What am I waiting for? What are you waiting for? I challenge you as I challenge myself to begin asking the Lord to help me to readily accept the new seasons that come my way. To be willing to knock on a few new doors and then being willing to enter through them when they open.

Matthew 7: 7-8

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

New journey...for me!

2011-04-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday, April 17th 2011! I made a decision recently that I am no longer content with my lack of discipline in my daily choices. Excercise! I am writing about excercise! My body is screaming for it! My mind is craving it! No more excuses for me!

I will post a picture of me now...(which by the way I am not proud of) this will be like a before and after kind of thing. I am basically writing this blog to myself and to anyone else who needs to be encouraged to not settle with where they are at. I am tired of being tired all of the time! I want to live with more energy and I want to help my heart pump more freely and easily! It's about taking care of the temple the Lord has given me!

I will try to post new updated pictures along this journey of trying to make good choices daily!

Happy Birthday to my Mom...February 2, 2011

2011-02-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

The day was February 2, 1943

Wanda Jean Morris

made her debut...

Happy Birthday Mom!

May your day be blessed!
You are a blessing to me!

Wish I could be there to celebrate

with you in person! You are special today and everyday

to me!

I love you bigger than the sky!

Love your daughter,

Shelley

Happy 18th Birthday to my son Landon! January 2nd, 2011

2011-01-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

Happy 18th Birthday to my son Landon!

Crazy that my baby is 18!

So proud of you son!

I know God has so much planned for you and I am excited to be on the sidelines watching it all play out!

Just thinking about all of the things in store for you and ahead of you is so exciting! May your adventure during your 18th year bring you more than you ever dreamed!

Love you Bigger than the Sky!

Mom

It's the Little things...that add up to Big things...

2010-10-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

It's the daily stuff that makes a marriage work. Getting a way to grab a coffee at Starbucks; walking the aisles at Sam's Club or Costco and only coming out of there with a package of Charmin toilet paper; going to get frozen yogurt just because it sounds good. Dates don't have to be planned or cost a lot of money. They do take time! Spending time together in small ways adds up to big results along the marriage journey.

Allowing our kids to see their parents truly enjoy being together and living life together is one of the best gifts we can give them. Our jobs, homes, cars and friends will come and go but the steadfast faithfulness we show each other in our marriage will transfer into a legacy we can leave to our children and grand-children.

Our kids need to see us "in love" with each other. The world offers such a tainted view of love. Everyday we read about some supposedly famous couple "calling it quits." When we stop to think about it...there are very few who "choose" to stick it out and make "it" work. All of a sudden those who we view as "famous" are suddenly not so famous to us anymore. I am sometimes surprised at how I am surprised when I hear of a marriage that has broken. A broken marriage usually starts showing signs with the "little" things.

It is when we ignore the "little" things that they grow into "big" things.

May God bring breath new life into your marriage!

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

—1 Peter 2:25-3:2, 3:7

Yikes! Where has the time gone?

2010-10-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind is how fast time goes! I mean can you believe it is October? We are in the last few months of 2010. My mind is trying to wrap around the year and think about what God has been up too in my life thus far. When I take time to think about it he has been up too a lot! He has been orchestrating my days each and everyone of them. I can feel Him with me everyday!

The biggest thing that stands out to me is how much I have learned and realized that this world is not our home. We are not supposed to get so attached to things. Things are not eternal. Things are only TEMPORARY! Things will never satisfy. Our security is in the Lord, not in our savings, not in our home, not in our jobs, not in our family, not in our friends and for sure not in our THINGS!

When we free ourselves up from the ways of this world we are so much freer to really live! To explore and become more and more amazed at how much God loves us and cares about us. He wants us to share that with others. It's not meant to be kept ourselves.

So I say all of this to say: "Don't worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough cares of it's own." But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6: 33&34