the trouble with Pinetrest

writer's note: One of my bestest Mommy friends and I had a heart-to-heart last night on security. You know, how we place it on everything but Jesus.  So, we decided to link arms and write about the same thing, but from different perspectives. While I write about material security, she's writing about finding security in our physical beauty.  Hop on over to her blog and check it out!

I have a confession to make.

I have a latest obsession.  It's called Pinetrest.  You've never heard of it? Well click on that link right back there and get to Pinning!

Truthfully it's a blessing and a curse.  On one hand, I've been able to get so many great ideas on frugal decorating that I can make myself (which is awesome!) but on the other hand, I have quick access to pictures of others' homes that make me drool.

I even have a board called dream house.  I'm pathetic, I know... But, here's a peek. ;)

I drool everytime I see these pictures.  And then this ugly seed takes root in my heart... You may have heard of it.  It's called discontenment.  Suddenly I am so aware of how little our family has.  We live in a cramped cozy two bedroom apartment with two daughters, and about four closets full of junk.  Our walls are bare simplistic and our furniture is hand-me-down vintage. 

It's not that I'm not grateful or anything.  No, of course not.  It's just that, well... I know friends that have houses like these, or kitchens like that, or even... (gasp!) a beautiful library like that... How utterly unfair and ridiculous this all is.

So, I start praying.  That God grants to us a bigger house.  Because "God, we need it."  That God gives us a mini-van or some sort of larger vehicle.  Because, "well God, we really really need it."  And so on and so forth.

I have come to the realization and the ugly truth that I am most secure and confident when I've completed a diy home project and it's proudly displayed in whatever room of the house it belongs in.  I am most confident when friends come over and my home doesn't have that messy lived-in look.  In truth, I imagine myself confident with a living room like this...

A playroom like this...

 Or a guest room/chill room like this...

How absolutely pathetic. Throw tomatoes at me.  Boo me... I know, I know, keep it coming.

But like King Solomon declared all throughout Ecclesiastes, "Vanity, vanity, everything is vanity!"  I have to learn to find my security in Christ.  It's safe to say that God will never grant me those things with my heart in the condition it is.  It'll be the destruction of me.  And, it's pretty safe to say that deep inside, I know that none of those things will bring any form of security or confidence.  I find that in Christ alone.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge..." -- Psalm 18:2

Yet Scripture exhorts us explaining to us that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).  My treasure is wrongfully placed in my home and my heart will break every time something minor goes off road, until I learn to be kingdom-minded.  Until I learn to set my eyes on eternity, on the heavenly just like 2 Corinthians exhorts us to do. 

My security is Christ alone.  He alone is a safe-place and refuge.  He alone is a rock and a fortress.  He alone can keep me safe.  My home may burn down and I may have to leave it behind someday, but if I am secure in His love, then I win. <3

the kingdom belongs to the little children

"From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease." -- Psalm 8:2

I know, I know.  I've started a post this way already. But, oh well.

Today is my prayer room day.  The day I spend two hours (at least) praying alongside other believers on behalf of families.  It is such a glorious day.

Today however was extra special.  It was like morning dew after a season of drought.  And it came by way of a sassy, adorable, hysterical little man named Aiden Samuel.

Aiden is one of the funniest two year olds I've ever met.  From asking for coffee from our missions base director (he was quite legit while asking for it too!) to doing some kind of tribal ankle grabbing dance during worship today, he is quite the personality and quite the amazing little man.

The amazing thing about Aiden is that his mommy and daddy work as intercessors for the Orlando House of Prayer and they do quite an awesome job at training him Deut 6 kinda way.  Just saying. ;)

So, today during our prayer set, towards the end of it, I was walking with Aiden and we were praying for the United States and for mercy (he is such a fiery intercessor!) when suddenly I felt a nudge to dance unto the Lord with Aiden. 

Uhm?!

Ok God.

So I ask him if he wanted to dance and he, with an excitement only a two year old can have about making total goofs of ourselves for Jesus, said YES! :)

So, we start dancing. And twirling (okay, his version was a man-twirl, he is after all a dude).  And getting lost in the Presence of Jesus.  And then suddenly I find myself really engaging and dancing with a liberty I hadn't done in quite a while.

And then, our prayer leader J. Johnson, asks that everyone gets in small groups and starts praying for one another.  So we do, and Aiden prays for us all.  And of course we pray for him.

Nothing spectacular happens then, but we keep dancing.  And then, I hear it!  That song I woke up singing.  The one's He's been embedding in my heart for a while.  The one He's using to bring out the boldness I so often lack.

"I've got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see, opens prison doors, sets the captives free... I've got a river of life flowing out of me."

And then, something glorious happens.  His Spirit begins to move and minister in the room!  We went a few minutes over our set but for 30 straight minutes, we sing that chorus and then some and I know that God is moving; ministering freedom and liberty to the hungry of heart.

I was am hungry of heart.  He ministered to me.

All because a two year old worshipped freely.  With liberty.  Without restraint or fear of man.  I believe the Lord used Aiden's worship today to bring in a movement of His spirit.  

After all, don't we have to be like little children to enter into the Kingdom?

back to school with a purpose!

This summer was quite the tennis game in deciding whether to homeschool the Eldest or not.  Being as we have quite the unique scenario, we pretty much decided the week before school started...

Nevertheless, our little Evangelist (because our little one has such a beautiful heart for the lost) was ready to go on August 16th for her very first day of Kindergarten.  We decided on a Christian private school.  But having done so, we knew that not everyone who attends knows Jesus.  So, this past weekend we talked with Daniella and prayed with her.  We reminded her to shine forth the light of the Father so that others might see Jesus.

"But Cole, isn't it a Christian school. Aren't people supposed to know Jesus?" she asks me in all the innocence any human being could posses.

"Yes baby.  But just because they go there doesn't mean they know Jesus.  Just like sometimes people come to Church, but they don't know Jesus.  It's about making choices to love Him, remember?"

A look of sudden understanding bursts forth in her face and suddenly understanding turns into what I'd like to call, godly sorrow.  Her eyes shone with the broken heart from a little girl realizing that it is not Church or Private Christian School that makes her friends Christians, but their choice to love and accept Jesus Christ and His precious gift of salvation. Realizing that some of her new will-be friends may not know Jesus filled her with an eagerness to start the new school year with a purpose: To shine forth the Father's light in good deeds, so that whoever sees it may believe that He is good and that He is God. (based off Matthew 5:16)

Dayspring's Back to School collection was sent for us to review this month.  Turns out the theme for this month has been "Back to school with a purpose." Haha. Isn't God funny.

As usual, Dayspring's products have surpassed quality expectations and absolute adorableness.  We were sent the God Recycles collection and how beautiful it is that we can use this collection as one of those tools for the Eldest to ensure that her light is always shining for Jesus.  We love it!

Go check out and look around their website.  Maybe you'll find a little something that will cause your or your child's light to shine ever so brighter.. =)

Oh yeah, receive 20% off your entire purchase with code DEALS20.
*In compliance with FTC guidelines: DaySpring gave me these products for review and that all opinions are my own.

the ABC's of my little big one year old!

(writers note: I started this post on her birthday, but due to just... being busy... I didn't get a chance to finish it till now. Sooo, pretend it's August 19th again. K? K!)

One year ago today I received the most wonderful gift (outside of salvation) I think I've ever received.  It was her birthday, but she was my gift.  In honor of my precious girls' birthday, I'm gonna go from A to Z in all things Aaliya Liberty! (thanks Kari for the idea! hehe)

A is for Awake 

This morning at 230a, little Miss Liberty woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep.  She just wanted to be held.  And although at first I have to admit that I was kinda annoyed at the interruption of my Beauty Sleep (HA!) I eventually realized that it was an answer to my prayer; I was getting time to snuggle with my little big girl. It doesn't happen often since she's just so Active! 

B is for Bath Time

Seriously, my kid is a fish. 'Nuff said

C is for Crawling

Because she's all over the place. And getting into everything... ;)

D is for Dancing Queen  

Aaliya carries music as part of her DNA. I'm convinced. Anytime music comes on, she starts to dance. Just like her Momma in that aspect. 

E is for Expressions

In my baby album my Daddy had an entire page devoted to pictures of my baby expressions.  Just to keep the tradition going, I think a digital version of it is perfect. :)  And boy I tell ya, that little Missy has enough expressions for several pages worth of expressions. Hehe

F is for Family

Aaliya is incredibly blessed to have an immense family that just *loves* her. 

G is for Glow Worm

Aunt Cheri got Aaliya her Glow Worm for Christmas this past year, and it has become her all time favorite toy.  She presses it, is mesmerized by the light for a second then starts to dance at the lullaby-ish songs it plays.  It is a life saver when a melt down is imminent. ;)

H is for Highchair

Probably her favorite place to be (besides the tub).  Snacking, eating and just hanging out there is one of her favorite things to do.  Sometimes I put her on there to do table-top activities. :)

I is for Ingeniously Einstein

(okay, okay, I was struggling with I, but you get it)

Aaliya loves loves loves her Baby Einstein.  Though we don't encourage a great deal of television at home, this is one sure-fire way to get the wiggles to melt away to total and complete stillness. :)

J is for Joy

Aaliya has always been an unbelievable source of joy to our lives.  While she was in the womb, one of our Church members prophesied that she would bring joy to our family in a manner which was from the throne of God.  It would be Heavenly Joy to rear her and to know her.  And I can say this has already come to pass in so many beautiful ways. 

K is for Kangaroo

Missy loved to be close to Mommy when she was a wee thing.  Like a kangaroo. ;)

L is Liberty

Her name means Defender of Liberty.  

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty!"

M is for Milkaholic

Ever since Aaliya weaned herself off her formula at 11 months.  She decided she didn't want it anymore so we tried some organic cow's milk.  Since then, she has doubled her milk intake and become quite the milkaholic.  I love it. :) She'll have strong bones! ;]

N is for Nena

Our cutesie nickname for her given by her Titi Rachel... It just kinda stuck.

Oh, and this was her first non "Mama" "Dada" word. ;)

O is for One Year Old!

Because that's what she is today!

P is for Percussionist

During her birthday party today, Aaliya opened up Mommy and Daddy's present, a play drum and a tambourine.  Aaliya played with both and kept tempo at an impressive rate. She's always been quite the genius with tempo and music and she's been quite the musically inclined child.

She's a salsera in the making... hehe

Q is for Quirks

Because she's got a ton of them!

R is for Reading

Boo-Boo's a reader just like Mommy.  Everyday we pray it becomes a hunger to read His Word as she continues to grow.

S is for Sister

Anytime Big Sister walks into the room, Aaliya's face lights up with a beautiful smile and anyone from a mile away can tell how absolutely close they are.  I pray this grows daily and they grow up to become best friends.

T is for Talking... a lot

Aaliya loves to babble words and (what she thinks) are sentences!

It's absolutely adorable-- most of the time.

Not sure where she gets the whole talking a lot thing from. ;)

U is for Under...

Aaliya *loves* to put her head on the floor, her bottom up and look in between her legs under everyone else.

It's adorable.

In Puertorican culture it (apparently) means she's asking for a sibling... Hmm?

V is for Viejita

This absolutely adorable face we love to see!

W is for Worship

Because we know she's got the calling to worship every day before the throne of God.

And as a baby, she praises with the best of angels. ;)

X is for Xtra Special

Because.she.just.is

Y is for Yawning

I love that she yawns a lot. ;)

It makes Mommy smile.

Z is for Zzzz

Good Night sweet baby. I love youu! 

my fear and longing for beauty

Saturday Night was quite the night.  The Husband and I were invited to a ball.  The Agape Ball was held by Covenant House Orlando on behalf of some homeless young adults.  Covenant House wants to honor them and make them feel like they're worth it.  Because as you and I both know, (or should!) they are. It was such a sweet night.  Looking out into the sea of faces, these "kids" (and I call them so because I've permanently entered into the Mama Hen role and don't know how to get out!) came alive as the music played and they were given the opportunity to show off their dresses and suits (all donated by a loving community, btw) and all their dance moves.

It was an absolutely stunning picture of what the Hope of Christ can do to restore lives.  I was mesmerized.

But. Before this mesmorazation (is that even a word? Ehh, you get what I mean) came the break down.  See, this ball was an event that required dresses and make up and hair done and all that jazz.  In retrospect, I was pretty excited about the opportunity to dress up and feel feminine.  Having lived in sweat pants and t-shirts for the bulk of the last two years, (because let's face it, as a pregnant woman, I did not feel pretty nor like I was "glowing" and I did not enjoy showing off my anything!) the prospect of a dress, heels and a little makeup was kinda very nice.

So, my wonderful make-up artisty/personal designer of a wonderful sister rose up to the challenge and said she'd do my hair/makeup/style for this particular evening.  She.Is.Brave!

But as I sat in the chair for an eternity (or an hour and a half, you choose) and inhaled hairspray and was poked and prodded to death (ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but still you get what I mean) all the excitement fell and suddenly panic took its place.

Panic by the way is no understatement. I suddenly felt very very afraid.

There's something about a pretty dress and heels and having been "done-up" so to speak that leaves a woman totally and completely vulnerable.  It is leaving it all on the line as we beg the question... "Do you think I'm beautiful?"  Sweat pants, t-shirts and baby vomit pretty much guarantee that we won't be consider the question, therefore the answer is allusive (though what a wonderful job our men do to remind us we're beautiful those times anyway).  But rock out the very best you got and suddenly insecurity is like a horrible, old companion you can't get rid of.

Okay, so maybe this isn't you.  But it's me.  And just a couple other women I know.

But seriously, how often do we hide behind the safety of our Mommy-attire and simply forget to leave it all on the line everyday and choose to be beautiful? In Staci Eldredge's Captivating her and John beautifully describe the desire of women to be beautiful...

"The essence of woman is beauty.  She is meant to be the incarnation-- our experience in human form-- of a Captivating God.  A God who invite us.  Beauty is what the world longs to experience from a woman.  So listen to this: beauty is an essence that dwells in every woman.  It was given to her by God.  It was given to you."  


God created me for the purpose of exhibiting beauty.

Umm, whoa.

Useful? Yes, I can see that. Practicality is now my middle name and I can totally see how He would create me for the purpose of usefulness and service to Him, but for the purpose of beauty? No.

Usefulness and practicality are safe; beauty demands that I take a risk.  But in a broken society that tells us that beauty is a 102lb, 5'7 supermodel who wears 13lbs of makeup and spends about two hours a day (at minimum!) in front of a mirror, I can honestly say I have missed the mark, a lot.

Which leaves me in a place of vulnerability.  It is easy to quote 1 Peter 3:3-4 at our Women's Bible Study as we sit in our feel-good shirts and comfortable jeans.  But place me in the middle of the dance floor at midnight with a Cinderella type dress and you've got a recipe for serious insecurity... Again, maybe this isn't you.  But it's me.

Saturday night, I was in the most vulnerable place I've been in a very long time.  I walked out of the house hunched over and making every effort to cover myself (as though my slingy arms can really cover up the "whole package") and I walked and danced pretty much defeated the entire night.

Truthfully, I was an epic fail.  But amidst the epic fail, I have found grace and learned so very much about my heart, and the heart of my fellow sisters.  My longing to be beautiful is of God and for God and His glory.  My beauty doesn't come from 13lbs of makeup, but it can and should reflect outwardly.  It was made to.  And Mommies tend to forget that.  I know I did.

As my sister, I would encourage you to pray and embark with me on this journey to reflecting true Biblical beauty.  It's there, within you.

Just like it's in me.

I just forgot.  Let's not forget anymore.  

Devotional Time for Littles, pt.1

One year ago exactly I stopped working and went on maternity leave.  In another week, the best present in the world (aside salvation) would be given to me and I'd become a "biological" mom.  What a precious time.

I had many expectations of what this year would hold and though I've managed to definitely do some, others have been tough to do and my inability as a human being has worked against me (aka I'm not as perfect as I thought).  One of those iffy areas has been the consistency with which I do devotional times with my children (mostly the Baby since she's with me most of the time).  Part of it has been a wrong thought process on how "She's just a baby" and the other is just laziness on my part. 

But let me tell ya, I've learned something.

Babies retain the Word just as purely as toddlers, preschoolers and older children.  Though they cannot communicate back with you what they have heard and retained, you better bet your bottom that the Word is being hidden in their hearts just as clearly as it is in yours.  It's still important to read and teach our young babies the Word.  The Word is the purifying element of our faith that tills the hard soil in our grounds to cause seed to grow and fruit to be borne.  By exposing our young babies to the reading of the Word at a very very early age (as in, from the womb) we are preparing their hearts for the message of the Gospel and the deeper truths in Scripture.  In essence, we are allowing the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him (Eph 1:17-19) to come and surround their little hearts, so that when they develop greater communication skills, they will already have Scripture within their hearts and what will flow forth is His Goodness and Mercy from Scripture. 

So, my birthday resolution with Aaliya is to daily impart the Word of God into her little heart by a consistent form of daily devotions.  I want to obey Deuteronomy 6 in its wholeness and I desire to see salvation bear fruit in the hearts and lives of my little ones.  I want every purpose of the Father's heart to be fulfilled in my little one and I desire to be faithful with the Precious Gifts He's given me.

So, where do I go from here?

I'll be on a journey the next few weeks to finding a rhythm, a rhyme and a way that works best with Aaliya (and Daniella during weekends).  I'll also be hoping to conquer some of the challenges that come associated with daily devotional times with little ones (e.g. I have a very bouncy and active one year old that does not sit still for very long and therefore discourages me from attempting much though I know I should or I'm now a part-time working mom with a funky schedule which complicates the whole routine thing for the kids... That kind of thing) and would love to invite you along the ride!

Melany over at The Beauty of Motherhood wrote a great post several weeks back on her devotional time with her precious two-year old (whoa, when did that happen?) Grace! I suggest you start there as I have and we'll reconvene again in a week.

Deal? Deal!

What devotional time routines, rituals or resources work best for you with young ones?

weep with them

A catastrophe has been declared today in the country of Somalia.

A famine has ravashed the country

and a generation is dying.

I'm asking that you will pray with me for this nation.

Interceed.

Cry for them.

Cry with them.

... "For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him, but has listened to his cry for help." --Psalm 22:24

the insecure mom

Today marked the end of my first week back at work and my very first week as a working mom.  During this time, the one truth that has smacked me straight in the face is how utterly insecure I am as a mother.

The week leading up to this "new-start" I had a million and one thoughts about whether this decision made me a good mom or a bad mom. Every argument ever heard on this topic came back to me like a flood of venemous waters and fear gripped my heart in a very nasty way. 

"What if Aaliya prefers someone else over me?"
"What if our bond disinegrates?"
"What if she feels abandoned, rejected?"
"What will people think of me as a working mom?  Will they consider me an awful mother for doing this?"

[enter brake noise here]

It is no secret that fearing man is one of my greatest struggles.  And God confronted me with it face-to-face in quite a real way this past week.  Turns out I'm quite an insecure mom.  Turns out I tend to find my security in parenting everything from what other people say.

Most decisions I've made in parenting have been somehow influenced by what someone else says.  That. is. so. not. good. 

It also turns out that faith is the most needed aspect in parenting.  As I was praying over this entire work situation, the Lord impressed the following in my Spirit; "Trust that I will be Aaliya's Father; Have faith that I will complete the work I've begun in her.  Give her up; she's not your child, she's Mine."  I am not in any way relinquishing the God-given role of the mother to Aaliya Liberty; I am however relinquishing my desire to control and my fear of failure and man in parenting her.  I am learning to believe and trust that He carries Aaliya as close to His heart as she is to mine (and even closer, still!)  I am learning to believe and trust He has chosen me as her mommy and He has allowed our every circumstance to bring us to the place we are now.

Most things, we just can't control and as parents we are beckoned by Christ to place our trust and faith upon Him, as the solid rock and foundation of our very lives.  His blood is sufficent for me, and His blood is sufficient for my daughter(s). 

How have you had to place your faith upon the Rock in parenting?

*this post is linked to Living Well Wednesdays

ordained praise and established strength

"From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease." -- Psalm 8:2

Tonight was such a sweet kiss from Heaven for our family.  After my second day back at work, the Husband put on worship and praise music and we all began to worship together as a family. The Baby was jumping up and down, babbling and singing praises in ways only the Lord could understand and the Husband and I began to get lost in His presence. 

It was beautiful and I began to feel His arms surround us and His grace overwhelm us.  It was such a sweet sight.  The Baby kept looking back and forth between Mommy and Daddy and towards the end of the night, she began to lift her hands in worship right alongside us.  She may not have known all of what she was doing or why, but from our example adoration unto the King is being established in her sweet little heart and I know He will accomplish all the purposes of His heart towards the Baby.

In our parenting journey, it is imperative we give honor to our children and understand that our "Lord has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong." (1 Cor 1:27)  He has continually beckoned us to be like little children (Matthew 18:3) and to never hinder them from coming to Christ; the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Matthew 19:14).

 

Psalm 127 clearly teaches us the great honor and rank we carry in the Kingdom of God when we allow arrows to be given to us through children.  Scripture is filled with beautiful admonitions of children, yet society screams against them. Mothers and Fathers reject their children physically, emotionally and spiritually daily, human trafficking is characterized by the selling and purchasing of our children and abortions kill thousands of our arrows daily. 

 

I invite you to honor your children in small, special ways and to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with faith, affections and His thoughts towards them.  Speak Scripture over them today (so that they hear you!), thank them for quickly obeying or for going out of their way to serve;  spend an extra 3 minutes with them telling them about the glorious plans Christ has for them tonight during the bedtime routine, and demonstrate by your example the love of Christ that is willing to lay down life for another.

 

One day, those mighty arrows will bring you honor at the gates of the city...

 

 

*this post is linked with Titus 2esdays 

seeking Jesus as the married one

1 Corinthians 7:34 has been running through my heart a lot...

"... The woman who is unmarried and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband."

Truthfully, this Scripture has baffled me... often! So, I did what any clueless person would do and I read the commentary by Matthew Henry (one of my favs!) on it as well as one by William Barclay.  They spoke truth, wisdom and knowledge (although I favor Matthew Henry's commentary) and Matthew Henry wrote an intriguing thought that got me thinking.

"This is the general rule, which every one's discretion must apply to his own particular case; and by it should he endeavour to determine, whether it be for marriage or against. That condition of life should be chosen by the Christian in which it is most likely he will have the best helps, and the fewest hindrances, in the service of God and the affairs of his own salvation." -- Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 7:34

I have encountered through this journey alongside my brothers and sisters in the faith that often times, newly married couples (including me and the Husband when we first wed) are... surprised by the sudden shift in one's personal spiritual climate once the vows have been said and the unity blessed.  The couple is now "concerned with things of the world" and things get a little... complicated.

It is no secret that marriage greatly affects our walk with the Lord.  Once married, the rules change and the atmosphere shifts.  It is not that we no longer carry an undistracted, undying love for our Savior, but now duty governs over whim and it is godly to be concerned with how we may please our spouse.  This is found good and right and holy.  

But what about when this truth doesn't exactly settle in?  As newlyweds, the Husband and I struggled in how exactly we were to do this married Christian thing.  It wasn't that we lacked in upward love, we lacked in wisdom and understanding. We were both used to spending countless hours alone with Christ, dropping everything at a moment's notice to simply lock ourselves up in our room to pray.  And then, that was good and that was right.  It was Holy and pleasing unto the Lord.

And then we got married; and things changed.  I was expected to have dinner on the table and laundry folded in addition to working full-time hours.  I expected him to spend quality time with me after working overtime to provide even more for our family and take out the trash before the day's end.  He was already a father, I was becoming a mother.  And time got away from us.  Neither one knew how to do this Christian Married Couple thing.

Please hear my heart on this (I'm finding myself having to say that a lot... maybe I should stay away from potentially controversial posts...).  I am not saying that marriage causes us to draw away from the Lord nor to spend less time with Him.  I am by no means saying such a thing.  I am saying however that it looks different; same as when you become a parent and then when you become the parent of multiples.  It's a learning curve we all go through and the beauty that shines forth from that is a wonderful testimony of Christ's glory and love.

The Husband and I are still getting the hang of it.  We still trip up, and more often than not we get caught up in the things of the world (which by the way in the original Greek/Aramaic context does not mean the things of the world that we are not to love, but rather the things of the world that are necessary to walk in Holy order).  It is the grace of God that abides within us and the grace of God that causes us to grow and become fruitful in this area. 

On our wedding day, we devoted some time to worship Christ for His perfect gifts

But, we were missing one thing... Unity.  In the middle of our frustrations, we were living together, breathing together and talking together but we weren't being together.  He was lost in his duties as a husband and I was lost in my duties of my wife.  We forgot to seek the Lord together so that He can show us His purposes for our family and our union.  In this evil time where marriage is being scorned and mocked, I urge you to seek the Lord out not only as a family, but as a couple.

It is imperative to the health of your marriage to seek Him together, alone without the rush rush of babies and feedings and clean-ups and to-do's. 

And it is imperative to the health of your Spirit as well.  Truthfully that is the most eternal and most real truth of them all...

What challenges have you encountered as a married woman in continuing to purposefully seek the Lord?