1. Dream Home - A beautiful breakfast nook by a nice big window – I have always had a thing for window seats & this looks like such a lovely place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or a good book!

2. Kids Room Ideas – A cute desk made by re-using an old crib

3. Yummy Food – Pie in a canning jar – how fabulous is that?? Now all I need is to find some cute little jars like that…

4. Art & Craft Ideas – I have a journal fetish and I especially love seeing the creative ways people decorate and create within their journals!

5. Photography – I love this maternity photo idea and loved that I was able to use it in our little maternity photo shoot we did this last weekend!

6. Party Ideas – I created this board to collect ideas for my 30th Birthday Party & this decoration was definitely one of the favorites of all my guests!

7. Quiet Book Ideas – I’m totally not a seamstress or super crafty person, but I love the idea of having quiet books for my kids. If only I had the time and ability to make some of these! This barn with animal finger puppets is especially cute!

8. Cute Boy Haircuts – I LOVE this shaggy mop of hair – if only my boy’s hair would lay down so nice and flat like that!

9. Beauty – I’m getting so bored with my hair – I wish I could pull off this cute and sleek asymmetrical bob with bangs!

10. Organize – I love all things about organizing!! For someone with two small and useless entrances, this boot room is a dream come true!

Are you on Pinterest? What are your favorite ideas or pictures that you’ve pinned lately?

**Note: In case you were wondering, yes – I did airbrush my stomach – it is no where near that perfect in real life! **

Today I am nearly at the 38 week mark in this pregnancy and the above photo couldn’t be more true – in more ways than one.

First of all, I am longing for my baby Eden to be born and am getting increasingly impatient for his arrival! As the end draws near, there is literal  discomfort and pain in the longing as my body aches from this journey of pregnancy, mixed with hope and anticipation and joy, knowing of the reward to come!

As I talked about in a previous post about how we came to name our baby Eden, part of the reason we chose this name was because it speaks of another, greater longing for the original garden of Eden where man lived in unbroken, intimate communion with God. This is the second longing which I think we feel more intensely even as we sense that His return to the earth is drawing near. This longing is also one of aching as we feel the pain of His absence, as well as joy as we look forward to the day when we finally get to see Him face to face!

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 it says that God has put eternity in our hearts – or in other words, a longing for Eden, our original home, to be restored. I believe that this longing exists in everyone, believer or not, for we were all created this way – with the belief that there must be more to life than what we are experiencing – whether we choose to acknowledge that or not.

I read a quote recently from the book The Longing for Home by Frederick Buechner, where he writes, “What is the connection between the home we knew and the home we dream?…The first home foreshadows the final home, and the final home hallows and fulfills what was most precious in the first.“  As another writer put it on their blog, “Maybe we have lost Paradise but our hearts long for Eden. A place of wholeness. A place where creation and the created ones coincide without incident. We long for the new heaven and the new earth. Creation groans and so do we. We long for things to be put back in place. Back the way they were supposed to be.” The new heaven and earth, our final home, is the fulfillment of the original home that man had with God and it is where all things will finally be made right again.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Michael Milton, in his sermon entitled Longing for Eden, writes, “Every man and woman who ever lived intuitively longs for his or her eternal home. You were made for Eden…So there is a longing. That is the eternity God has placed in your heart — to be fully restored with God and to be home with Him. However, the longing is confused by sin. We cannot get home, we cannot identify or come to terms with the longing, much less fulfill it ourselves. We must have help to fulfill it. Jesus is the fulfillment. He is our way home…The longing inside of you, fulfilled in great part by the [first] coming of Jesus and the salvation of your souls, is going to be completely fulfilled at His second coming.”

And so, as I feel the discomfort and pain of longing for my baby to finally arrive and to get to hold him in my arms, I am reminded of the greater longing for my Bridegroom and to finally see Him and be with Him in Paradise.

“Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places.  And her wilderness He will make like Eden,  And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.” (Isaiah 51:3)

Even so, Lord, come! (And you too, baby Eden)

1. Tortellini Spinach Bake – I made this a couple weeks ago and it was a BIG HIT with the fam – they all loved it! I added some cooked chicken so that my man would get his meat quota, but I honestly don’t know that it really even needed it.

2. No-Bake Energy Bites – I tried the original recipe and really liked it, but then tried it again with some cocoa (and fewer chocolate chips) and loved it even more!!

3. Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups – I liked this one and so did my kids, but it wasn’t a big hit with the hubby, as it was meatless

4. Pizzadillas with Homemade Pizza/Dipping Sauce - while this is very simple and is just another variation of pizza, it was nice for something different. Joe really liked being able to control how much sauce he got for each bite and the kids had fun dipping their pizzadillas in the sauce too.

Source: budgetbytes.blogspot.com via Jacquie on Pinterest

Source: budgetbytes.blogspot.com via Jacquie on Pinterest

5. Chorizo Sausage & Sweet Potato Enchiladas – haven’t tried this one yet and I’m a little nervous about what the family will think, but it looks so interesting! However, I did discover that I couldn’t find Enchilada Sauce in Canadian grocery stores to save my life, so the blog author pointed me to some homemade recipes that you can try here or here.

6. Cheesey Shepherd’s Pie – a classic dish, but one I’d never made before. I think it was received well by hubby & kids, though Joe has an aversion to rosemary and thyme. I think I would also consider cooking the veggies a bit first, because they were crunchier than I like.

7. Chicken Taco Bowls – This one was okay. I’m not a huge fan of cumin, so I might not include that if I make it again. I actually liked it bit more when I put it in a soft tortilla, but the spiciness was also not agreeing with my heartburn that I’ve been having lately.

8. Baked Banana Bread Oatmeal – haven’t tried this one yet, but I did try an altered single serving of cooked oatmeal with half a mashed banana, some chopped walnuts, brown sugar, flaxseed, cinnamon and nutmeg and it was pretty good! If I were to try that again, I think I’d do a whole banana and perhaps eliminate the walnuts, but I still plan on trying the baked version as well.

9. Pizza Puffs – haven’t tried these yet, but don’t they look yummy?? I’m not sure this could pass for a meal, but it would be a great appetizer!

10. Butternut Squash Gratin – haven’t tried this one yet, but it does look very tasty! It’s suggested as a side dish to a baked turkey, so not sure what I would serve it with?

Have you discovered any new recipes lately that you’ve loved??

Hebrews 1:1-4

My Father has always been speaking to humanity and throughout the ages, He spoke through His prophets. But in these last days, He spoke to you through me, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the worlds. Instead of speaking through men, though dreams and visions, He chose to use me, His very own Son, as His mouthpiece and His representative.

For I am the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. I uphold all things by the Word of my power. I, myself purged your sins and am now sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high. I’ve been exalted above the angels, having inherited and obtained a more excellent name than they.

No longer do you need prophets to tell you the Word of the Lord – you have me and my words and the Holy Spirit to give you revelation on it. Before, my Father spoke in part and in mysteries and veiled images, but in me He spoke with resounding clarity and volume and fullness! For unlike the prophets, I share the very nature of God, His character and likeness. I am His glory and splendor and divine light all wrapped up and manifested to you in the flesh.

It is by my Word, by my power that the entirety of creation is held together and kept from crumbling into pieces. Without me, it would all fall apart and cease to exist. There is nothing in all of creation that can claim to have power or control over its life – for it is all within my hands. Everything depends and relies fully on me!

Yet, with all that power and all that glory, let me remind you that I chose suffering and death that I might completely eradicate and deliver you from sin! With this power I could have destroyed mankind or chosen an easier way to redeem it, but I didn’t. I wanted you to know and see my love for you and that I am not a cold-hearted, distant, all-powerful deity that has no concern for his creation. No! I am God and therefore I am all-powerful, but I am also love incarnate and I willingly sacrificed myself for you because my heart is alive and full of passion and affection for you!

I am even now sitting at the right hand of my Father, with my scars as a vivid reminder of the blood I shed for your sins, as I act as your Mediator and Intercessor. It is my joy to sit next to Him, working in partnership with Him, for your good. There I am seated, higher than any majestic or powerful angel, higher than all rulers or principalities. Only to me has there been the name given of King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

There is no being who can compete with my excellence in my identity and nature and position beside my Father. I am superior in every way – especially in the depths of my love for you, my Bride! There is no other love like mine – there is none that can compare to me, none who can satisfy like I do!

1. One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider ($5 e-book)

2. Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper (free download)

3. Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well by Randy Newman (free download)

4. The No Brainer Wardrobe: Get Dressed With More Confidence and Less Fuss by Hayley Morgan ($7.99 e-book)

5. Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider ($6.88 – $11.55 on Amazon.com for Hardcover-spiral or free Kindle download for a limited time)

6. The Spirit of Adoption: Winning the Battle for the Children by Randy & Kelsey Bohlender ($12)

7. The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell ($10 on Amazon.com)

8. The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian ($3.84-$10.98 on Amazon.com)

9. Any of the Books on Prayer by E. M. Bounds (free downloads – public domain)

10. A God-Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards by John Piper and Justin Taylor (free download)

Since it’s going to take me a LONG time to read all of these, let me know if you have read any of them or if you decide to read any of them and how you liked them!

Using the memorable acronym MAPS, radio host and Bible scholar Hank Hanegraaff masterfully reveals four proofs that confirm the divine origin of the Bible:

M represents the strength of the manuscript itself as many actual fragments have been located
A stands for the archaeological proofs that have been uncovered
P is for the prophecy that has accurately predicted events
S represents the scriptural synergy found in the unity, consistency, and harmony of the sixty-six books

These clearly presented proofs provide powerful indicators that confirm the trustworthiness and divine nature of Scripture, that God has indeed spoken, and that the Bible is the reliable repository of His words.

Several months ago, I received the book Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff for my review. I was very interested in discovering the proofs for the validity of the Bible, for though I have always believed it to be the infallible Word of God and to be Divinely inspired, I didn’t really have any facts to back up that belief. As you can see, this book took me a long time to read, as it is rather lengthy and uses a lot of theological and literary terms and language that doesn’t always make for easy reading. Despite that, though, I did find it to be helpful in many ways to educate myself on why the Bible really is a trustworthy source of both historical information and spiritual guidance.

Hanegraaff has a very obvious love for acronyms, as MAPS is only one of many that he uses throughout the book, which I think he implements to try and help you remember the key points of his book. While these are possibly useful for retaining the information he presents, I think I would still need to make notes and be intentional about trying to memorize those key points if I ever hoped to use this information in an intelligent way in a discussion with somebody. Though I feel better educated on the subject, it would still take some studying to become familiar and confident with these evidences in order to try and present a convincing argument to somebody who doubts the validity and trustworthiness of the Bible.

Having said that, I think Hanegraaff makes an excellent point in his book – in many cases, even presenting the most educated, fact-filled, clear debate on this subject will often not be enough to convince a skeptic – what people really need is revelation from God and for Him to open their eyes. So while I am thankful for this resource and I hope to find it helpful in being able to prove the Bible’s accuracy, I think I am even more convinced of the need for prayer and for divine revelation from the Holy Spirit to convince the unbeliever. There are many lies of the enemy that have been used to shake people’s confidence in the Bible, many of which can be answered in this book, but we also need God to break in with His light and truth to illuminate people’s minds and hearts!

Lastly, while I think I would recommend this book to any believer who wants to have a more solid foundation for their belief in the inerrancy of scripture, I also need to mention that I did not agree with everything Hanegraaff said about his interpretations of certain Biblical passages. In this, I believe it’s also important to recognize that while the Bible is in fact completely accurate, our interpretations of it may not always be. We all need to read and study the Word for ourselves and realize that none of us has the full picture. We need the entire Body of Christ working together to search out His Word and seek the truth of what He is saying to us through it. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us, to show us our errors, and to lead us to Jesus through it.

This book was provided to me by Booksneeze.com for my honest and unbiased review.

While I don’t know exactly how much Justice and Rayah comprehend of the lessons we are teaching them, I believe that these seeds we are sowing will produce much good fruit. I eagerly look forward to the day when my kids will make their own personal decision to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for them and make him their Lord, but until then, I am simply enjoying the journey of telling them, and hopefully showing them, who Jesus is and how much He loves them.

I love seeing these seeds of truth being planting in their hearts.

I love hearing them sing songs of worship to Jesus in the wee hours of the morning.

I love watching them pour over the Bible and becoming familiar with its stories.

I love hearing Justice drum to worship music and watching Rayah dance or lift her hands.

I love listening to these early, innocent, creative and sincere prayers that they offer up to God.

I love seeing and experiencing the story of Jesus’ birth through their eyes.

This Christmas, I am just so thankful for how much we have been given and for the opportunity to share with my kids what God has so graciously and abundantly given to me. My prayer is that this Christmas, my kids will receive revelation of who Jesus is and how He feels about them and that His love will go deep into their hearts in a way that will root them and ground them in Him for the rest of their lives. My heart is full.

Though I wasn’t due to write about Isaiah 9 for quite some time, I figured it was fitting to write about it during the month of December, as it is a key prophecy about the birth of Jesus. Since there was simply so much contained in just these 2 verses, I split it up into several posts that each focus on a certain phrase, with the last one being “His Government and Peace”. Merry Christmas!!

Isaiah 9:6-7

When I come into my Kingdom, the government of the earth will rest on my shoulders. I will gladly shoulder this responsibility and I am, in fact, the only one capable of doing so. I am the perfect leader and the burden of leadership over all of mankind is no burden at all for me!

My government is also an increasing one that began thousands of years ago and which is growing daily. The bounds of my Kingdom are ever expanding and its glory is ever shining brighter and brighter until it reaches its perfection.

The gates of hell will not prevail against my Church – it will keep reaching out and taking territory from my enemy. What joy I take in rescuing souls from the kingdom of darkness and conveying them into my Kingdom of light! My government and peace are relentless in their expansion, for I am relentless in my pursuit of the hearts of mankind! I am forever wooing and winning the love of my subjects and conquering sin and wickedness, that I might rule and reign in their hearts.

The more you submit to my leadership and rule, the more peace you will experience, for as my government increases, so does my peace. Allow me to govern your day, your thoughts, your emotions, your actions, your time, your words and watch the result of peace that will flood into your life! The more you say, “yes” to my Holy Spirit within you, the more you will be set free from fear and doubt and anxiety and striving.

As both the Root and Offspring of David, I will rule and reign upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, for my Father has given it to me and has set me on His holy hill in Zion. Where there has been chaos, I will order it and establish it, setting all things in their rightful place. I will be both a King and Judge and I will judge all things rightly with true justice.

In fact, I am the only one worthy to take the scroll from my Father, the title deed to the earth, and to open it and unleash its judgments. I am the only one able to judge the earth and its inhabitants perfectly with righteousness and equity, for I am the only one who was slain and who gave my very own life for mankind. I shed my blood and bore the wrath of my Father in order to redeem you to Him, which makes me the only one worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

Just and true are all my ways, as King of the saints, for I alone am holy. I will reign from that time forward, even forever. My Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and my dominion will never pass away or be destroyed. All peoples, nations and languages will serve and worship me, for it is from every tribe and tongue and people and nation that I have redeemed my chosen ones.

Not only will I reign as King of kings, but I will make my subjects kings and priests who will also reign with me on the earth. For in addition to being a King and a Judge, I am also a Bridegroom and you are my Bride and I desire to have you seated with me, ruling together with me, partnering with me in bringing my purposes to pass.

The zeal of my Father, the Lord of hosts, will perform this! My Father, who is the Lord Almighty, the Lord of the Armies of Heaven – He is jealous for His own honor, to bring to pass His word and to accomplish His purposes. The One who holds the heavenly hosts in His hands, who created all things, who has ultimate power and who commands an angelic army - He is passionate and filled with zeal to see me established on my throne. He trusts me explicitly to rule and reign in accordance to the desires of His heart and He is committed and determined to bring this to fulfillment.

All of this and more was being proclaimed and prophesied in my first advent and you will see it all unfold to its completion at my second advent. Surely I am coming quickly!

** This post was influenced by Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Isaiah 9 and David Guzik’s Study Guide for Isaiah 9 as well as the following scriptures: Isaiah 60; Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:12-14; Revelation 22:16; Revelation 5:1-14; Revelation 15:3-4; Daniel 7:13-14; Ephesians 2:6-7; Revelation 22:20 **