Mother's Day and Other Thoughts

Mother's Day was great...everything from a wonderful breakfast made by my honey, to fun time in the pool, to visits from friends, to a wonderful dinner with the family!!  It was all good.

I will introduce everyone according to who they are to Ty and Ava.

Starting from the left:

Papa, Mimi, Uncle Ben, Grandpa, Grandma, Ava, Mimi Angie, Buddy, Aunt Shauna, Uncle Danny, Daddy & Mommy. (Ty was taking the picture!! Good shot, huh?)

Here are the moms.

Sharon (my "other" mom), Angie (Shauna's mom), Shauna (my sister-in-law and she has my little niece or nephew cookin in her tummy!! Yay!!!), me, Maria (my mother-in-law)

My Ty boy wasn't looking in either picture we have like this!  Oh well. =)

Now on to OTHER THOUGHTS...

I feel like the Lord is telling me through many people, scriptures, sermons, and devotionals...to LISTEN to HIM!!

People...

Here are a couple of posts from fellow bloggers that I feel the Lord is speaking to me through.

Nicole's blog
Whether you are to adopt or not, Nicole's post is such a great example of obeying the Lord.  I love how she asks "Is God the head of this project or one of the crew?"

Jill's blog
Jill linked to another blog on her post that discussed the purpose of pain.  He listed 10 things that he feels that pain produces in us.  They were:

1) Pain rouses our attention
2) Pain reveals sin in our lives
3) Pain removes our complacency
4) Pain reminds us that we need God
5) Pain rescues us from pride
6) Pain rearranges our lives
7) Pain refocuses us on what is important
8) Pain renews our vision
9) Pain releases greater opportunities for ministry
10) Pain reinvigorates our love for God
 
Pretty thought provoking, huh?  Jill's post made me reevaluate what is going on in my (our) life and WHY it's going on.  We all want pain to just go away but God has a plan.

Jill's daughter, Lexi, has a blog and it's also linked from Jill's post.  She's so wise...and at such a young age.

There are many more blogs that totally move me...this was just a couple from today.

Scriptures...

Many scriptures have spoken to me lately for various reasons...but they all tell me to be still and LISTEN!

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Don't be impatient for the Lord to act!  Travel steadily along His path.

Psalm 37:34

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

Sermons...

There was a series that our pastor did a little while to me called "Courage Camp" and wow...that totally spoke to me.  This past weekend he started a series that is to help us worship, grow, and serve.  It all goes back to...in order to hear the Lord speak, you must be in His word, seeking Him every day!  He has a plan for all of us!

Devotionals...

Okay, lets just talk about TODAY'S devotional and you'll see what I mean!! 

It was titled "Challenge to Change"

"Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing..."  Hebrews 3:8

It basically spoke of the fact that times are tough, spiritually tough. 

It says..."The Christian virtues of humility and contentment are out of step with the culture I live in."...."Whether our culture makes it easier or harder to be a Christian, we are all challenged to soften our hearts so that the Holy Spirit may shape us to become like Jesus."

"But how soft is my heart?  How open am I to the Spirit's work?  How easily do I accept the place God has for me in his world?"

The last 2 questions...wow.

It's really amazing to me that I've seen some people younger than me, some older, some believers for a long time and some believers for a shorter time...and the Lord has used ALL of you.  It's very humbling to know that I've been a believer for most of my life, but can't seem to trust, or obey like others do that haven't been a believer for nearly as long.  It's a real eye opener as to how much time has been wasted on my part.  I was telling Dusty this and he said, "It's not a competition."  Let me make this clear, I'm NOT trying to say this is in ANY way a competition.  It's simply a wake up call.  When am I going to just listen to the things that I KNOW the Lord is asking of me???  Hard headed, I am.