Give and Take Away

Once again God used music to speak to me. This time he used the same song I blogged about here.

I do feel like I could give up my stuff to follow God. I feel as though this tough time in my life has been a time of reflection to see if I was really willing to give it all away and still remain joyful. I can truly say that I would be ok if we lost everything. That is until I heard these two simple lines again....

Anything I would give up for You
Everything I give it all away

God spoke to me. Am I really willing to give up EVERYTHING? Is there something that I am holding so closely that I am not willing to let go of it? I realized there was. I knew right then and there what it was. Through the tough times I have found myself saying "wow, sometimes I feel like Job." Then I would follow it up by saying "God, just don't take my children!"

Why is it that I could give up all my earthly possessions but somehow I am not willing to trust God with my most cherished blessings? I know that I need to open my palms and give my children to God. He has blessed me with them and they are His.

I don't know if I could say that I would be joyful if God chose to take my children from me. I am struggling with this. Losing my children is the last thing that I want to think about, but I know that God wants me to be willing to give up EVERYTHING. Please pray with me as I wrestle with this. I want to be able to say that I truly would give up EVERYTHING for my God!!!!!

God has used this season of my life to strip me of my pride. I know that all we have is a blessing from God and he can take them away at any moment. I have learned to be content with the here and now. God has proven himself faithful. He is my Jehovah-Jireh. I have become fully reliant on Him. Even though this season has been challenging it has been filled with joy. I would not trade this tough time for anything. I have noticed a change in my spirit that I thank God for it!

We Shall Not Be Shaken

I don't have much to share these days. Sometimes God uses music to speak to my heart and this is one of those seasons. I share these songs hoping that they may speak to you also.

"We Shall Not Be Shaken" by Matt Redman

When everything's breaking
You are left unshaken
When everything's tumbling down
You're the solid ground
Nations could be quaking
Economies failing
When fear is found all around
You're the solid ground

Our God, You are all that You say You are
You never change, You never fail, You never fade
Our God, You are faithful in all Your ways
Forever You stand, forever You reign, forever remain
And we shall not be shaken

We shall, we shall not be shaken
We shall, we shall not be shaken
When all around is sinking sand
For You are, You are never changing
You are, You are never changing
You will stand, the Great I am

Being Content

In the midst of all the things that we are dealing with God has really been speaking to me about being content where I am. I am learning to be content with God and God alone. This has not been easy, but I am in process.



The song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns has really spoken to me. Especially the chorus. God is calling out to me. He tells me not to be afraid. I know he will use my circumstances for his glory. I just need to remind myself of that daily (sometimes hourly). I need to listen to my God and not the lies that this world throws at me. Thank you God for proving yourself to be faithful time and time again!!!




Oh,what I would do to have

the kind of faith it takes

To climb out of this boat I'm in

Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone

Into the realm of the unknown

Where Jesus is,

And he's holding out his hand



But the waves are calling out my name

and they laugh at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The waves they keep on telling me

time and time again

"Boy, you'll never win,

you'll never win."



But the Voice of truth tells me a different story

the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"

and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth



Oh, what I would do

to have the kind of strength it takes

To stand before a giant

with just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound

of a thousand warriors

shaking in their armor

Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand



But the giant's calling out

my name and he laughs at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The giant keeps on telling me time

and time again

"Boy you'll never win,

you'll never win.



"But the voice of truth tells me a different story

the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"

and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth



But the stone was just the right size

to put the giant on the ground

and the waves they don't seem so high

from on top of them looking down

I will soar with the wings of eagles

when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus

singing over me



But the Voice of truth tells me a different story

The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"

And the Voice of truth says "this is for my glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)

I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)

I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth



I will listen and believe

I will listen and believe the Voice of truth

I will listen and believe 'Cause Jesus you are the Voice of truth

And I will listen to you.. oh you are the Voice of truth

New Year's Resolutions

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions. Mainly because I don't usually keep them. I also think it is important to take inventory of our lives on a daily basis and change things that may need to be changed. All that said, there are a few things that I have been thinking about implementing into my life. They New Year seems like a great time to start with a few of these things.

I want my house to be the healthiest, safest place for my family. Since having kids, I have become aware of how many toxins we introduce into our own homes everyday. I really want to be protecting my kids, not adding to the ever growing list of hazards they come into contact with. I feel very very guilty for using so many different things in my home. That is why, about a year ago, I decided to make some changes. I have changed most of my cleaning supplies to organic, non toxic, products. I chose to use Shaklee products. I have fallen in love with them. In fact, I believe in these products so much that I decided to start selling them. We also use many of their nutrition products as well.

I wish I could afford to switch everything we use/consume to organic products, but that just isn't in our budget. I do purchase as many things that are organic as I can. I figure anything is better than nothing.

I have been really inspired by reading my friend Kristen's blog. She always seems to have great ideas on how to live a healthier lifestyle. A few of the things that she has blogged about have been on my mind for a while now. I would love to get rid of some of the extra waste in my life. By this, I mean, all those extra shopping bag, produce bags, etc. I would like to purchase a few of these Organic Cotton Produce Bags to use on my shopping trips. I feel that the Thanks for recommending them Kristen! I would also like to purchase reusable grocery bags.

I'm sure there are more things that I could do to make a difference, but I figured start small so that I am not overwhelmed by all the changes.