Morning Glory: Overcoming Disappointment

Doesn't matter who you are, we have all experienced disappointment. It's definitely not a great feeling.

Unmet expectations - unfulfilled dreams/hopes - being let down by a person or ourselves - frustration -

disillusionment... sadness...

It happens. It hurts.

This last season of my life was met with several personal disappointments...situations I had no control over and no matter how hard I tried, they were not going to be "fixed"...

Life was not going to stop because I felt disappointed & hurt. I had to keep moving. One step at a time, one day at a time. One prayer at a time.

What do we do with our disappointments?

Will we allow our disappointments to define us?  Will we allow them to overcome us?

Or will we overcome our disappointments?

A few things that help me.

1. God is the God who sees. He sees me & He sees you! He knows every single detail of my heart,my thoughts, my life AND He deeply cares. He is for me & you!!  This song by Kari Jobe super blesses me & ministers to my heart!

2. Perspective is everything. It's healthy for us to acknowledge our feelings & emotions but we can't fixate on them. Where is our focus?

"Set your mind of things above, not on earthly matters." Colossians 3:2

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever it is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."  -Philippians 4:8

3. Prayer. God loves it when we come to Him. We can tell Him anything. We can be raw, honest & we don't have to get ourselves together first - He wants us to come to Him just as we are ... even a hot mess! :) He can handle our disappointments! 

4. Praise. The bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. His presence in our lives changes everything!! It only takes a moment in His presence. We have so much to praise Him for. We can praise Him in the midst of pain & difficult circumstance. 

"Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty and cattle stalls vacant-- but I will still celebrate because the Lord God saves me." Habakkuk 3:17-18

5. Declare Truth. What we speak from our mouth is powerful. Our words can either speak life or death. Speak Life! Speak God's Truth! 

"Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." - Psalm 73: 23-26


God will give us the grace we need to navigate any situation in our life!

My prayer is that we will lay down our disappointments to the Lord - there is nothing that we will experience that Jesus cannot relate with.

If we choose to hang on to our disappointments they will eventually lead to defeat in our lives! And this will become such a distraction to the purposes the Lord has called us to!

Today is a new day! There is an abundance of Grace available for us! His Grace is Sufficient for us!!

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I pray that you will find what you need from a loving God today! He is our Comforter, our Healer and our Friend!

Not sure what you are walking through right now.. perhaps you are on the mountain top right now or perhaps you are in a valley... wherever you find yourself today - I pray that these things will be a help to you today or when you need them! :)

Family Matters: School Year Complete!

 

 Hard to believe a school year is complete! The time sure does fly by!!! Averi had the privilege to attend Grace Community Preschool.  We were super impressed with the school.. they did such a fantastic job and paid such great attention to detail. I am continually amazed by the scripture that will come out of Averi's mouth or the songs that she will spontaneously sing.. those she learned and those that she makes up!!

Averi's Favs: the playground, playing outside, the swings, drawing, art projects, singing, sportsball & twinkle toes dance.

Fav Friends: Kaylee, Lilly & Reese

Most excited for summer:  To go to the beach ( hmmm.. i hope she knows something that i do not!)

Trenton had a great first year of Kindergarten at Broadmor Elementary School. His teacher Mrs. Kilby is a fabulous teacher and she made such a great investment in Trenton!

I am amazing at all Trenton learned! He has become a great reader and writer. 

Trenton's Favs:  End of the school day (lol)

                             Field days

                             Fun days

He said he liked learning how to write, paint, do art & math. 

"I learned to count & write all the way to 100!"

Fav Friends: "A lot of friends... Boys!" 

"No girls.. but sometimes we would play tag or a zombie game." 

Most Excited for Summer: to swim & eat popsicles 

Feels Excited about being a first grader!!

Make over Monday- White House Designs

 Sometimes it's just fun to do something creative!

I have found that in ministry, often times it feels as if the "job" is never done and you do not always get to see the "finished project" ... so I find it very life giving & satisfying to complete a project.

A before & an after!

Here are some recent completed projects.

I was very fortunate and had some help on one of the projects! :)

found this cute chair in Prescott, Az at a thrift store.  It is painted in Annie Sloan Paris Grey

Loved this chair. Found on craiglist

Painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Providence

Sorry for the not so great before pic. found this desk on craigslist. Paint-Annie Sloan Paris Grey

 

Left the top of desk in it's original. Added Gedeo Silver Gilding wax to the hardware

                             Had some great little helpers who helped do some distressing on my bathroom cabinets                                                                                             

Not sure what I would even call the original color- pretty bad! Repainted with Paris Grey, Silver Gilding & Providence. Hope to find some more of the original knobs to put in the middle. :)


Hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day!

More White House Designs to come! :)

Nine Awesome Qualities in a Spouse!

Celebrating 9 years of marriage today! Couldn't be more blessed! I thank God for the amazing husband that He gave me!

In honor of our 9th anniversary I would like to shout out 9 awesome qualities in a spouse! :) 

1. Servant Minded - willing to put the needs of others before himself. Goes out of his way to bless others - not expecting anything in return. 

2. Humble - is willing to admit when he is wrong and can say those sometimes difficult words... "I'm sorry!' 

3. Man of Prayer - values prayer! Takes time to pray with me, with our kids & with whomever the Lord puts on His heart to pray for (aka: the cashier at Wal-Mart at midnight!) 

4. Risk Taker - although this definitely applies in the natural sense, what I love most is his willingness to take risks in following Jesus and advancing His kingdom. He would rather live a faith-filled adventurous walk with God than a comfortable status quo one.

5. Active parent - loves his kids and is super involved in their lives- from changing diapers, bath time,  taking them to Chick-fil-A, to playing soccer, to disciplining when necessary, to tucking them in at night & praying over them... there is not a job he wouldn't do for his kids! :)

6. Team player - He values our marriage as a partnership. We are a team in all we do. He is my greatest encourager & support! He speaks life over me, believes in me & sees God's best in me! He inspires me to chase after the dreams God has placed in me. 

7. Fun & Funny - doesn't take himself too seriously. Can laugh and find the good- even in the crazy difficult times.. 

8. Super Generous - has a heart of sacrificial giving... the kind of giving that requires faith to do so! 

9. Loves Jesus more than me or anyone or anything else! 

And the list truly could go on and on.. but for the the sake of the number 9, i will stop. :) 

Happy Anniversary Shawn! I love you and I am so proud to call you my husband! You are a great example of an outstanding husband. I am thankful for the example you set for our own children, our college "kids" and many others! 

Morning Glory: Struggle

Happy Sunday! Praying that wherever you are today you have a blessed day - knowing that you are deeply loved by a Heavenly Father with a specific purpose for YOU!

Something on my mind and heart today is this-

Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Prior to this verse Paul goes through several different types of relationships- read more here

Husbands & Wives

Children & Parents

Slaves & Masters ( aka: employee and employer) 

After speaking on these important relationships - He instructs us - 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God,so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes"

Then v6  reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh & blood! 

We must be aware that there is a very real spiritual battle going on all around us- all of the time-- it's not just an action movie sort of thing! It's real! It's happening!

It is interesting that Paul goes through some of the most important relationships in our lives and then makes it clear that our struggle is not against flesh & blood. 

Maybe he understood that at times we will struggle in these relationships with these people...that at times we may engage in the wrong battle.

We all experience conflict - it's normal, it's going to happen.. with God's help and His wisdom we can resolve these issues. At other times, it truly is not a people problem- it is a spiritual problem! 

The enemy would love to get us distracted, for us to lash out on people and fight it out in the natural and not fight in out in the the Spirit by prayer.

Sometimes it is just not personal! Yes, it may feel very personal and your flesh may want to react & say things you may regret... but it's not personal!! 

Only with God's help & His Holy Spirit can we navigate relationships in our lives. God created us for relationship - they can be such a blessing to us! 

Relationships can be messy sometimes, we can put ourselves out there and experience rejection, abandonment, abuse, neglect  and many other hurtful things. 

Saying that it's not a people problem does not excuse the wrongdoing of another person & does not negate the pain & wounds. It also does not mean that we need to subject ourselves to people that are not safe in our lives. 

But God is the God who sees and we can be sure that Justice is His! 

Today may we put on the Full Armor of God & be aware of the devils schemes. Remember, our adversary is sneaky and sly. He is an opportunist and if he can get us to focus our attention on conflict with others and holding onto offense- then we will not be aware of much else. The bible says to

"See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." -Hebrews 12:15

 We must keep our hearts soft! 

May we walk by the Spirit and not our flesh. 

I pray for eyes to see and ears to hear.. for a greater revelation to understand the things around us. May  we react in prayer and "...be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."(James 1:19)

God can & will give us the courage to forgive! Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice and it is ongoing.

Aren't you thankful that God sees us & knows us?  He knows what we need and only He can truly satisfy us! 

We are loved. He is our Comforter, our Counselor and our Healer. 

Family Talk: Prepared for the Real World?

Disclaimer: this blog is a collection of my thoughts and opinions. You may not agree and that is okay! :)

A few weeks ago I came across this chore list from The Busy Mom - I read it thinking "Wow, I need to step up my game.. my kids are living on a vacation!" :)

 I realize that sometimes I just do things myself because:

1. it's easier
2. i will do it "the right way"
3. out of habit

I have been trying to be more intentional to involve my kids in the household chores and not worry if it is done correctly ... or if it takes 4x longer and requires more effort. I may have to do it again later but that's okay!

I think the majority of moms would agree that it is our job to prepare our children for life & the "real world" to come.

It's always good to take inventory and ask ourselves how we are doing.

I am inspired and challenged by a friend of mine Candace. Her kids know how to work & are learning responsibility at a young age - they have chores they are expected to complete in the morning before school and after school. The kids work as as team. One child packs lunches, another packs the snacks, one takes out the trash and unloads the dishwasher and each one cleans their rooms and mind you this is BEFORE school begins!! They also have an alarm & get themselves up, teeth brushed, dressed & get breakfast.  Whew! I'm impressed!
She has 4 kids that range from 10 to 5.  (Candace- you are a FABULOUS mom & a rockstar!)

Some may think this is too much or that these tasks should be reserved for mom only-- I would definitely disagree!

I work with 18 to 20 somethings and I have met a variety of students - some who definitely learned responsibility and work ethic growing up & others who did not have to lift finger and had everything done for them.

It just doesn't seem as cute for a 21 year old to not know how to do the dishes or clean up after themselves does it? At times, I can get frustrated but then I am reminded that at times we all need to be asked to do something and we need someone to teach us and set an expectation for us.

I will be the first to admit that I do not always do the best job making time for these teaching moments for my kids... but I want to!

As moms, our hands are full... our jobs never feel quite finished... we can be our biggest critics... but God's grace is sufficient for us and the good news is... it is new every morning!!

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. -Lamentations 3:23 Being a mom is such a great responsibility & privilege. It is important that we do not find our complete identity in being a mom. We can find great joy in being a mom and value it as an amazing calling but I think we need to be careful to not do things for our kids out of our own need for validation or to feel "needed". Our kids need us to teach them and prepare them for life. It is great to be a blessing to them but I'm not sure if doing everything for them, (and taking that as a badge of honor) is serving our children & future adults well.  My prayer is to prepare my kids well.. not just in knowing how to do housework, but in knowing God's word, knowing how to pray, looking for opportunities to serve others, knowing how to manage their time & money, knowing how to live generous lives -- to raise them to be responsible and make this world better!  I have seen too many young adults that have such a sense of entitlement - they haven't had to work hard for much and expect things to be a certain way... their way!  This is a good reminder for me that my kids need me to take time to teach them responsibility & to "wean" them off of me!  This is discipleship -  "I do, you watch; I do, you Help; You do, I help; You do, I watch; You now show someone else." I would love to learn from you! What do you do in your family? Any tips that you can share?  We need each other, none of us have all the answers!! Let's not compare and feel inadequate but let's learn from each other and find the wisdom & grace from the Lord! Our identity comes from God alone! Hope you have a fabulous day and week ahead!

Get Your Craft On!

I was the room hostess for the retreat I recently attended. I had a small gift bag for each woman in my room and needed to provide a notebook/journal. 

I wanted to personalize a notebook and didn't want to spend a ton of money... so I decided to get my Craft on! :) I thought they came out really cute and they were pretty easy. 

If you have never been to a SaS Fabrics you should check it out. All sorts of goodies! Be prepared to hunt!

I found it helpful to use a same colored marker and filled in the text on notebook

I Cut out vinyl letters with my Silhouette

Morning Glory - Expectation

Good Morning Friends! French Roast Coffee with coconut creamer (Yum) and God's Word - Amazing start to any morning!

I had the wonderful privilege to head north to lovely Prescott, AZ this last weekend for the DSC Sisterhood Retreat. So many great things I could tell you about- the time away was incredible - over 100 women took time to focus their attention & affection on Jesus - can't go wrong with that! 

Although, I could seriously write about so many different "take-aways" or logistics from this retreat I want to share some thoughts on one thing - Expectation.

I went to the this retreat filled with expectation! Much planning,prayer & fasting had gone into this time away. I have gone to many retreats - I have left some encouraged, full of faith - I have left others frustrated, discouraged & unchanged. What made the difference?

I truly believe that having an expectation that God is going to move in a great way makes all the difference .. and not just at a retreat, but day to day. 

I left to this retreat knowing that I was going for the main purpose to meet with God & receive all that He had for me! Often I can allow myself to become distracted or feel tired and spectate rather than engage. This time was different. I knew God had spoken to my heart to be fully present & engage. The moment praise & worship began I made my way to the front, not worrying about what others were doing... I wanted to worship my God. When it was time to respond or pray at an altar - I was there. When God prompted me to pray for someone - I obeyed.  It didn't matter that I had very little sleep the first night. I came to meet with God and my expectation was that He would meet with me! And of course- He did! That is His heart for us - He loves to meet with His kids and He desires us to seek Him! 

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13

God desires to move on our behalf. His heart is for people to know Him and seek Him. He cares about our families, our school, our co-workers, our marriages, our future -  He cares about every single detail - the exciting & the mundane! He cares about us!!

Imagine what my days (and your days too) could look like if I began each day with Expectation -  my Faith stirred and my heart Engaged. This could make all the difference from living a life on auto pilot to living a ridiculously adventurous walk with Jesus! That is what I desire! 

This is our life. We get one shot. Too many times I have missed out on what the Lord had for me or was content to receive a little to just get by...Why? 

 The enemy of our souls would love nothing more than for us to be lulled to sleep, distracted and not really paying attention to God's voice & to God's people all around us. The enemy knows the potential of what you and I possess and He knows how powerful the God of Heaven & Earth is!

 May we not miss anything God has for us! God is good and He is incredibly generous. He has a plan for our days & we have full access to Him.. to know His heart for us and others. 

I pray that TODAY our hearts would be stirred & our eyes & ears would attentive to the voice of His Spirit! God is going to do great things today & He desire to use His people -  He is asking us to draw near to Him and to follow Him.

Will we accept this invitation? 

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you..." -James 4:8(a)

Morning Glory - More than Enough

A couple of years ago I had the privilege to meet every week with a group of beautiful women of God at ASU for a time we called Morning Glory. This was a time to share life, discuss God's word, spur one another on and of course drink coffee!! 

Although, we are not sitting together outside the business school Starbucks - I hope you will grab a cup of coffee and join me for Morning Glory Blog Style. :)  So this first of many (i hope) Morning Glory blog posts is dedicated to you lovely ladies that have enriched by life! I hope that wherever you are today (Serena in Germany, Jenni in Virginia, Betsy getting ready to graduate, Allison preparing to get married, Sam beginning nursing school.. to name a few) you will be encouraged and know that you are not alone! 

Lately, I have been so encouraged that we serve a God who is More than Enough! A God that can and will supply our every need. A God that meets us where we are and fills in the gaps and helps us in our insufficiencies. He is generous, full of mercy, compassionate & loving. Such an extravagant God! 

As I reflect on my last 10 years of serving as a campus pastor with ASU Chi Alpha, I am absolutely blown away that God has been able to use my life! I can tell you that I did not have the qualifications or the experience that was desired for this position, I can tell you that I was nervous and had a million reasons why it wasn't a good idea, but I knew that God was leading me to pursue it. He has been more than enough for me! Any "success" in my life, anything good is ALL because of God and is all for His Glory! 

God uses willingness! He is no respecter of person. He is not looking for people that have everything perfectly together. What He can do by His Spirit is more than anything we can do in our feeble human efforts. 

I Love gifts- gifts of all shapes & sizes!! My husband learned early on that I not only cared about what was inside the gift but I cared about the packaging too.(Seriously,I would be happy with a cutely wrapped pack of gum!) 

God gives us so many gifts and He is fantastic with the details & packaging. He knows what we lack, He knows what we are worried about, He knows what blesses us, He knows the people we need in our lives -He knows us! 

Not sure what is ahead of you in your life right now but if I can just encourage you that God sees you- He has exactly what you need and He wants you to run to Him. He is more than enough for you! He can take the fishes and loaves of your life and multiply them! He can increase your time, your efforts, your resources, your confidence, your joy and your peace (and the list goes on and on!). 

He wants us to come to Him - to trust Him for our provision, to be moldable that we can be formed into His image - to live a life of willingness and have open hands. 

It is really not even about us, it is about Him and He is SO GOOD!  

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

I pray that you will go to Him today (even if it has been awhile) and ask Him to supply your needs & more! 

Inspired

Good morning friends! I have been inspired by a great friend, woman of God & blogger to the stars - Katie Cannon  to be more consistent with my blog. :)

So, I will do my best! I've given some thought to the things I am most passionate about & would have something to write about.  Some of those things are:

-Relationship - with God & others. Living an authentic life in the context of community!

-Family- the good, the bad, the ugly and the steep learning curve.

-Campus Ministry- Chi Alpha - We truly believe we can change the world through the campus! We are passionate about raising up a generation of World Changers!!

-Make Overs - and I'm not just talking about make up! I love transformation and I am convinced that God is all about make overs! :) So from repurposing furniture to a new hair do to radical life/heart change! Love it!!

-Testimonies - the bible says "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.."  We all have a story to tell and our story not only strengthens us and allows us to overcome but it strengthen someone else!! So Good!!!

There you have it and obvi I have like a million other things I am passionate about but this is a start, eh?

So, don't be surprised if you start to see a little more of me in the blogosphere.

Our Life By the Numbers

So many cool things going on.. too many to count.. but here are a few highlights!

5 Days until Shawn takes a team of students over seas.










99.5- the number of miles Candi will be traveling north to Prescott for the Desert Springs Sisiterhood Retreat- Meet Me Here. She has been training & equipping women to lead small groups through out the retreat, and this weekend it will all come together.

12 Days until the Macedonia team leaves.  Check out team updates here.

2- The number of days a week that Averi went to preschool this year.  She says her favorite part of school is "coloring."

10&2- Trenton & Averi's T-ball numbers, respectively.  Trenton says his favorite part of t-ball is "getting snacks at every game."

12- The number of graduating seniors we honored at the ASUXA End of the Year Banquet. One of the hardest, but most rewarding, parts of campus ministry  is watching students grow in the Lord and then releasing them into what God has for them.Read one underclassman's open letter to our seniors here.

100- The number of new words it seems like Skyler is learning every day! He is growing up &full of personality!

5000- the number of people who worshiped at the Kari Jobe & Chris Tomlin concert that Candi went to with Paige this past week.  There were many songs that were reminiscent of the early days of Chi Alpha- just a handful of students singing Chris Tomlin songs in Danforth Chapel!





And the 1 God that has given us so much blessing and favor! We are excited for a great summer full of a million more memories!

Our May 2013 Newsletter!

Check out our May 2013 Update- full of news about our transition to Tempe, exciting developments in the community of Chi Alpha, and exciting summer plans! You can read the update in full here. 

If you'd like to receive these updates straight to your email inbox, sign up here! Be apart of what God is doing on campus!