Flashback Friday

Sweet Little Angel
Ellie ~ 2006

What If Mary Had Said No?

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

A friend of mine posed the question, "How many other Mary's did the Angel ask?"

So I started thinking about this. God knew that Mary, the mother of Jesus, would say yes but he also gave us free will. Do you think the angel asked other young ladies to be the mother of the savior of the world and they said, "no"?

Don't you think they would have been obedient to God's calling? But would I have? I mean in the last few years I have become very cognisant of when God is asking me to do something and when I am willfully disobedient or when I just refuse to listen. And the stuff He is asking me is pretty minimal compared to mothering his one and only Son.

Do you think they would have been able to stop believing the lies they believe? The lies that she isn't good enough for her friends or to be a good mom or to be a good wife?....let alone believe that she is good enough to be the mother of God's son?

These questions have been speaking to me this week. I say no to God at times when I am afraid. And really what he is asking me is small, so small...pick up the phone, talk to that person, write that e-mail. What if Mary had said, "no" because she was afraid or not willing to take the risk or just didn't really feel up to it or didn't want to change the course of her life quite that drastically or didn't feel like she was good enough?

Flashback Friday



"Word On The Street"
Evening In December
2006

Flashback Friday

Hard to believe it was 8 years ago today that my little Ellie Girl came into this world.
She is more precious now than ever.
Love that girl.
10/23/03

Multitude Monday

529. heated leather seats

530. a day off with my kids to sleep in and play

531. a day to bake

532. time with Great Grandpa Wiersum and the Friesema Family

533. new friends

534. time with old friends

535. snow and sun on golden aspens

536. a nanny who takes my kids on their day off to the food pantry to serve for 3 hours!

537. my search and rescue husband who was out last night rescuing successfully

Check back next week for another installment of Multitude Monday. God IS Good...and gratitude precedes the miracle!

Flashback Friday

Happy Isaac
~ 4 months old ~
October 2006

God is really speaking to me through this song...

I think God not only speaks to ME about me through these words but to me about those I serve. Great message. Take a listen...

Multitude Monday

502. that when my boys see a cross they call it a "reminder"

503. feeding chipmunks

504. listening to all 4 of my children play hide and seek

505. reading in the living room of our DVR cabin next to my hubby and baby girl

506. visiting with Sue

507. meeting old friends and their kids

508. visiting memory spots of our courtship

509. that I have time to do MM this week

510. come-to-Jesus moments that were over due

511. opportunities to serve

512. fall in the mountains

513. new job that I am really enjoying

514. a sweet, kind, thoughtful, wonderful new nanny

515. a visit from my Aunt and Uncle from St. Louis

516. going to a movie alone

517. date night

518. new bookshelves for my classroom that my Daddy built

519. progress as a mama

520. progress as a teacher

521. 50 sign-ups for the fall women's retreat at Deer Valley Ranch

522. worship

523. Cross Country - for the boys

524. leading a new group of women through a Bible Study book that has transformed me

525. cool weather

526. a paycheck

527. an amazing behavior coach to co-teach with me every day

528. a great new start for my kids at a new school


Check back next week (hopefully) for another installment of Multitude Monday. God IS Good...And gratitude precedes the miracle...

Fill Me Up

I am undone.

(I need to journal so my blog is my paper. I missed you blog.)

I do not trust You.
I do not believe You are enough for me. To fill me. To fill me up.
So I fill me up...with food, and soda, and  money, and this computer.
It doesn't last. I crave and crave and crave for more. I know I crave You but my sinful nature continues to fill me up with food, and soda, and money, and this computer.
I do not trust You...You who have created me in my Mother's womb. You who sent your child to die a horrible death, for me. How is that...that I dare to doubt You...that I dare to not trust You who created me. That is my sin. I do not trust You to fill me up.
Here I am undone before You...longing to know how to let YOU fill me up.
Fill me up Lord. I am your empty vessel. I am broken. Fill me up.



The ONLY thing that's good in me IS Jesus...
Thank you Lord.
Amen

Multitude Monday

486. soaking up the last few hours of summer vacation

487. enjoying Sunday evening with friends on our deck

488. harvesting vegetables from our garden with the kids

489. standing in the garden eating peas with the kids

490. a yard full of teenagers playing volleyball

491. my husbands fresh salsa and homemade green chili

492. summer fun with neighbor friends

493. celebrating a super cute couple and the beginning of their new life together

494. short hair!

495. seeing friends I haven't seen in over 2 years

496. my hubby helping me for a day painting my classroom and getting to show him where I work

497. having my hubby home this week

498. meeting the kids new teachers

499. new friends

500. date night out with my hubby

501. new found babysitter

 

Check back next week for another installment of Multitude Monday. Oh my goodness God IS sooooo Good...And gratitude preceds the miracle...

Flashback Friday

First Day of School

August 2008

Isaac and Kenny to Learning Center at church

and Ellie homeschooled Kindergarten

We had so much fun.



Multitude Monday

470. Mommy and Ellie play time on the trampoline

471. watching Kenny play with blocks and cars and enjoying his quiet time without Isaac

472. listening to all 4 kids laugh on the trampoline

473. this

 

474. new beginnings

475. new school supplies (for the kids - and me)

476. talkin life with Ellie on my new deck

477. listening to kids laughing and running in the yard long after bedtime on a cool Colorado night

478. unexpected income

479. sweet older neighbor boys playin with my little boys

480. fun day in the sun with Grammie and the kids

 

481. 1:1 time with Kenny

482. lettuce from my garden

483. time with my sister-in-law

484. lunch on my deck with a friend I haven't seen in a year

485. new backpacks!!

Check back next week for another installment of Multitude Monday. God IS Good...And gratitude precedes the miracle...

Flashback Friday

This series of pictures was taken in a matter of minutes.

Ellie was 10 months old ~ August 2004. 

She often made very dramatic faces.

This series was taken while enjoying Baby Einstein.

She was a big fan.

LOVE THAT GIRL!!!

Multitude Monday

460. shopping with my bestie

461. 9 hours of uninterrupted conversation with my bestie

462. MY NEW DECK

463. a relaxing family day at the park

464. Kenny snuggles

465. picking up Ellie at camp! I missed her so much but she had a blast!! Five nights away at church camp when you are 7 is a big deal!

466. that my husband really really loves me for who I am, just the way I am...

467. my new gas grill!!!
468. fun day with cousins on Grammie's deck

469. anticipation of big changes coming for this family...

Check back next week for another installment of Multitude Monday. God IS Good...And gratitude precedes the miracle.

Flashback Friday

Isaac ~ 1 month
July 2006

Multitude Monday

440. watching a movie by myself

441. lunch with a friend

442. my deck

443. using a hammer

444. working with my family to build something we are all going to LOVE

445. rain

446. celebrating Kenny

447. teaching Kenny to ride his bike

448. spoiling my big girl

449. decisions made

450. going on a bear hunt with my kids (and neighbor kids)

451. date night with my hubby

452. healthy children

453. layin in bed with Ellie Bellie talking about all the important stuff and sometimes none of the important stuff

454. amazing friends

455. listening to the laughter of children jumping on the trampoline with a hundred ice cubes

456. lettuce from my garden

457. my husband's arms wrapped around me at the end of a long day

458. that right now my beautiful friend is okay, hurting but okay. Love you friend. Thank you Lord.
459. fresh cut flowers from my husband just cause he loves me

Check back next week for another installment of Multitude Monday...God IS Good...And gratitude precedes the miracle...