Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

written dreams and grace.

Call it nesting. Simplifying. Living in the moment. Being present.

For me, in this season, I’m longing for time to slow to a gentler pace.

I find myself marveling as I watch the boys run and play and have conversations with one another. Amazed at how much they have grown. Suddenly, they are these little people with independent thoughts and personalities. They can make their own snacks and fill their own water glasses. They can get up in the night, use the restroom, flush, and go back to bed {I giggle every time I hear their feet pitter patter to the bathroom in the night, why is that? Motherhood never ceases to surprise me}. They can pull their own covers up over their toes. They can walk down the stairs, climb into our warm bed and snuggle between Dave and I in the early morning hours. I can feel their warmth and innocence and I ache to bottle it up forever.

I know the next season is coming. It’s right there, just out of our grasp. These two will be big brothers. Our family dynamic will forever shift. Life will move forward. New adventures and memories wait to be created. We are on the cusp of new and change.

As much as I want to freeze time right now, I also want to jump into the new. The unknown.

I know that the new will not be without hard moments but I remain confident that we will be met in that place with grace. The joy will overshadow the pain. It always does. Joy always triumphs.

Beth said it so well at Created for Care; what my soul aches for is the unforced rhythm of grace.

Slow mornings are savored. Quiet moments to dream and pray and listen. All the while, full of the knowledge that these moments are fleeting. {Newborns have a way of stealing the quiet mornings and slow starts…replacing them with feedings and diaper changes. And more. So much more. Filling the quiet with love, tenderness, and miraculous wonder}. 

I recently started a new family journal for the year. I have already declared 2014 to be the year of hope. I need to record it all. The dreams, the gratitude, the sweet memories.

I need these markers of His faithfulness. Markers that I can read through in the hard. Markers that my children can read when they are grown. Proof that the God we serve is only good and His plans are always worth waiting for.

Because, even though this season is so very sweet, we are so very weary. Weary of the wait for our S. I need these markers. I need to record them and look upon them as we wait. As we step into the new. As we welcome our precious Charlotte and continue to wait for all four of our babies to be under one roof. I need tangible reminders of laughter and joy and written dreams and prayers coming to fruition.

“I am freed to know that my God is huge and my God is able and that if I don’t get what I asked, if I’ll cooperate, I’ll get something bigger.” -Beth Moore

**Isn’t this journal the absolute cutest thing? You can create your own at www.tinyprints.com. I plan to make a new one each year to keep as a special keepsake for our family. You could also make one for each child and write letters to each child in their notebook. I decided to write to all four kiddos in one place…because I’m all about simplifying right now. :)**

praying for Congo.

From what we have been told, there is a big meeting taking place today in Kinshasa. I, along with hundreds of others, have been praying fervently since we heard this news on Friday. There is no way to know what will come of this meeting but we are praying boldly for the outcome to bring families and children a step closer toward joyous homecomings.

As I sat quietly before the Lord this morning, asking once again for a miracle, I was led to my prayer journal. These verses. Reminders of His goodness, His faithfulness, His Truth even in this unrelenting storm.


He is near. 
He is still on the throne. 
I will wait in expectant hope for the miracle on the horizon. 

Lamentations 3: 23-24
Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each day. 
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance, therefore, I will hope in Him!
1 Peter 5:7 AMP
…casting the whole of your care (all of your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 
Ephesians 3:20 AMP
Now to him, who by the power that is at work within us, is able to (carry out His purpose and) do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams].
Isaiah 30:18 AMP
And therefore the Lord (earnestly) waits [expecting, looking and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who (earnestly) wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him (for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless companionship)!
Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Revelation 3:8
I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough. 
2 Chronicles 14:11
Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come agains this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
Hebrews 11:1
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. 
It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. 
Beth Moore, Believing God
“Our toughest battles will invariably concern matters of faith — times when we’re tempted to think God’s word and His ways won’t work for us, that HE has abandoned us, let us down, or failed to come through for us.”
Psalm 77:14
You are the God of miracles and wonders!
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. 

Will you join me today in praying these words of truth over the vulnerable and orphaned children in Congo? Praying for God’s arms to cover these precious ones in mercy and love. Praying for families waiting and aching to bring their beloved ones home. Praying for a mighty movement that will bring goodness and shine God’s glory.

my tambourine is packed.

Last weekend, I headed into the Created for Care retreat feeling weary, longing to hear from the Lord, aching to understand why our journey has been so hard and so full of heartache.

Going into the weekend, I journaled these words:

‘This year, I am at such a place of desperation for you, Jesus. I know that I can’t do anything on my own strength and I can’t place my hope in what I know or what I can see. Meet me here. Fill me up. Show me where to place my feet. Each step. Each moment. Help me to focus here and on you, not ahead and what’s to come.’

Beautiful print and precious letter written by Dave tucked into my registration folder. 
Such a sweet surprise and perfect start to the weekend. 

Today, I can tell you that I came away full. Full of His peace, assurance, sustenance.

Surrounded by precious friends. Friends who have carried our family over the past year and a half. Friends who have taught me so much about faith, encouragement and the power of prayer. Friends who have struggled on their own paths, shedding collective tears and shrieks of joy along the way. What a blessing these ladies have been in my life.

Showered in so much love… gifts greeted me from these sweet friends!

Our main speaker, Beth Guckenberger, spoke directly to my heart. Her words were like a soothing balm reminding me of the One in whom I can trust fully.

Three themes were impressed upon my heart during this time away.

1}. Sustenance. 


God will always provide. Strength. Peace. Joy. One moment, one step, one day at a time.

Like a Good Shepherd leading his sheep, we can trust that He will guide us to green pastures. We can keep our ears tilted toward Him, listening for the next place to place our feet. The next stop. The next fork in the road. Ours is meant to be a position of dependance on Him.

2}. The Story is Not Over Yet. 


God always writes the absolute best stories. And, our story is not over yet {can I get an AMEN?}! No matter what may come, I can trust in Him to write each page … culminating in a beautiful story of Faithfulness.

3}. Place Yourself in a Position to Praise. 


Take a lead from Miriam’s song in Exodus 15:20. Although she was being led away from everything she had ever known. Although she didn’t know where she was going or how long the journey would last. Although she had to pack up all of her belongings to leave and follow Moses out of Egypt. Amidst the unknowns, the uncertainty, and likely, the fear; she took the time to pack a tambourine.

A tambourine.

I  can only imagine that I would have thrown some clothes, shoes, extra food and water into a sack … but a tambourine? I’m not so sure that would have made the cut.

Yet, she had placed herself in a position to praise God, full of confidence that He would lead them and save them. After the Red Sea parted and made a miraculous way for the Israelites to escape, Miriam was prepared to sing a song of praise.

In Beth’s words, this is reckless faith: when you don’t know the when, the where, the why or the how … only the Who.

And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! {Isaiah 30:18 AMP}

I’m packing my tambourine, friends. I want to trust so fully that the Lord will triumph gloriously in our family’s story, that I am ready to burst out in songs of praise.



**The super-talented, Courtney from A Faithfulness Told, is working on a little bloggity make-over for me ! I love it so far!!

let it go. for His glory.

I’ve been going through a process of simplifying {purging is a better word} trying to get a handle on the never-ending piles of stuff cluttering up our home.

Lately, I’ve been ruthless with my “organizing.” I’ve forced myself to let go of sentimental value and attachment to things. I truly believe that the less stuff I have to manage, the more time I’ll have to devote to the people I love.

I decided to go through the house, room-by-room, and let go of anything that I haven’t used in the past year. Oh my word. It was embarrassing … the amount of extra stuff in our home that we are not even using is just crazy. We even cleared out some extra storage out in our barn. You guys, we have been storing furniture that we haven’t EVER used in our home. Just storing it…you know, in case we need it. This is the epitome of first-world-problems.

I desperately want a home OVERFLOWING with joy and love, not possessions.

As I look back at journal entries from the past month, I see a clear theme: let it go. 

…What is God trying to teach me in this wait right now? I’m trying to trust and remain still but I am so impatient…

…I’m praying now that my heart is open to what God has in store for me and for our family. He is wanting me to learn something. Who He is. Faithfulness. Trust…

…Feeling overwhelmed with my “to-do’s” and everything around me. Piles of stuff with no place to be put away. A possible move. A garage sale {?}. Photos to be organized. So much “stuff” – none of it is of eternal importance, yet it consumes me… 


…I get grumpy and anxious and short-tempered. I miss moments. Instead of focusing on Him, I focus on the things of this world. I say I want to just sell everything, give it away…but, then, I’m overwhelmed with the prospect. What stays? What goes? Where do I start? I become paralyzed and do not act when I know the Holy Spirit is saying “This. This is what you should do. Let it go. Let go of your stuff. Your possessions. None of this defines you. I define you. You are a daughter of the King of Kings. Your riches in Heaven shine for eternity. Free up space around you. Declutter your things, your mind, your spirit…”


…I’m scared. We will have FOUR kids. Lots of stuff – gear, toys, clothes, mail, papers… I can’t just step away from it all…

Yet, today. Today, He showed me that each step forward in faithful obedience will be rewarded. Not rewards of earthly value, but a far greater reward – rewards of eternal significance.

After a couple of weeks of keeping my head down and taking one step at a time – one cabinet, one closet, one box – purging, simplifying, gathering donations and organizing…

Organizing all of the stuff…so thankful for all the helpers:)

He reminded me once again that joy is found from listening to His voice.

He loves so abundantly and wants good things for us all. What a joy it was to be a part of this small thing – a garage sale. Not a huge undertaking by any means. But, it will change lives in the Congo. 54 lives to be exact. 54 children that will now have full bellies for one whole month. In one day – God provided enough for one month of food for these children. And, we still have another day of selling tomorrow.

One month of full tummies and tangible love. All because I {and lots of friends – thank you all for the donations!} let go of a few dishes and chairs and clothes that haven’t even been used in the past 365 days.

Let it go, friends.

Breathe it out … let it go. Let go of what is holding you down and inhale His love. It really is a beautiful trade-off.

“…sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” {Matthew 19:21}