Revival

Ahh, 2013. A new year, stretched out before us. We can choose how we will use this opportunity. We can live this new year just like the one before that and the one before that. We can keep busy, look out for ME, and do just enough good to keep feeling okay with ourselves, and keep filling ourselves with stuff that doesn't last but gives us momentary satisfaction.

OR


Do you feel a stirring in your soul? Do you feel the stagnancy in your life? Do you feel the longing in your heart for more? More fulfillment? Genuine love? Spirit filled worship? Passionate prayer times? A new zeal for serving God? A burden for the lost? A hunger to know God more? Hatred for sin and the way it wrecks lives? Boldness for the truth? Determination to fight the spiritual warfare that surrounds us each and every day?

I can't keep living my life like I did last year, or the year before that. God continues to work in my heart and continues to show me areas I need to grow in, to change, to stretch. If I ignore the Holy Spirit in my life, He will get quieter, and quieter until I can't recognize His voice at all.

It would be nice sometimes to stick my head in the sand and ignore the world around me. The state of our nation is not a joke. It is headed in a fast, downward spiral. We as Christians are called to live genuine, Spirit filled lives. We have NOTHING to offer the world around us if we are so caught up in trivial issues of disagreements and differences between God's people. We go to conferences, counseling, and other life-changing events and come home, changed temporarily.

My heart's cry is to allow God to do the work He wants to do in my life. To stop getting in the way. To be all in. To pursue Him like someone who's dying of thirst pursues water. To encourage others, to love unconditionally. I believe God longs to see revival in our land, in this time in history. Oh, that God's people would band together and join in the battle. Could it start with one person, with me, with you? Could we just be obedient to Him?

2012 Memories

                                                         January-
Leon and I celebrated our anniversary 4 months late with a weekend at home, no kids. Relaxing....

(never mind that I look 6 months pregnant; must've been the vest:) )

Later in the month, we surprised the children for the 100th day of school by taking them to a hotel with a big indoor waterslide.

February-

I flew to Texas and surprised my sister Karen for her 50th birthday.

(my big sisters and me; they are 14 & 18 years older than me, but I love 'em so much!)

We also hosted 2 wonderful nephews and 1 wonderful niece for 5 days while their parents went on a mission trip.

March-

We planted early things in the garden

April-

Leon began planting

The children and I went to MO to visit my sister Mary and her family

May-

Leon and I made a fast trip to Ohio for a wedding and spent some time with my niece and her family.

We also took a field trip with several other home school families.

June-

We started eating garden goodies and enjoying summer to the fullest.

July-

We started off the month by going to the Ozarks and spending a wonderful weekend with my entire family....

                                         Here we are, all 66 of us!

The 8 siblings...alot of personality going on here. You can tell I'm one of the better behaved ones.

Then we celebrated the marriage of Leon's brother, Karlin to Megan...

We also celebrated the life and death of Leon's Grandma Miller.

August-

We spent a weekend visiting Leon's Grandma Stutzman.

We painted the school room and Leon built desks and bookshelves and we started school.

We camped in our back yard.

September-

Leon began harvest.

We celebrated 3 birthdays in our family.

We were commissioned as youth pastors at our church.

October-

We had gorgeous weather this fall.

                                                       November

                             We enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family.

                                                        December
                 We had a very busy month with basketball practice for  
           Logan, Christmas activities, baking, and then lots of fun family time with Leon's family.

                                  Kevin sure enjoys those sewin' cards.:)

                                                     Pizza Hut!

                                     We all took turns being sick ...:(
          and then finished up the month with our own little family Christmas.

It's been a great 2012.

New Year's Resolutions Or Not

I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions. They can sound so noble, so spiritual, even. But along comes January 23 or somewhere around there, and they have fallen by the wayside, while we struggle in the muck and mire of defeat and discouragement. So I boycott all resolutions. But somewhere along the way, I discover I have become hardened to the awe of a new year, a new page, a fresh start, and I wonder...Is there something good about reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the future? Does reflection make me think? Check my direction. Ponder my choices. Re-evaluate my time. Could it be that there is some value in being quiet before God in this yearly event of hanging up the new calendars?

Of course, I have regrets. I didn't always love like I should've, extend grace to others, enjoy my children enough, or appreciate my husband like I could have. I missed opportunities that nearly hit me in the face, I said unkind words, I struggled with unanswered prayers. I wondered where God was hiding.

So what is the guarantee that 2012 will be any better?

I have some things pressing on my heart. I don't think they are there by accident. I believe God put them there. A small stirring to do more...to stretch myself...and so I look forward to-

-intercessory prayer
-digging in God's Word
-growing in receiving and extending grace
-reaching out to lonely people
 Here's one of my favorite quotes by one of my favorite authors, "All that we see around us all the time, that is what we risk never really seeing at all." {Ann Voskamp}