Taking a Breather

Whew....life has been NON-STOP here in the Johnson home, but I have decided it is important to take a breather, and do a little updating. Honestly, I can't even remember all the things that have gone on in the past month, but I have not forgotten what a wonderful time we had with my parents! What a special blessing to have them for a visit.

I think I had previously shared that we were also unable to see my parents when we went up to Washington, because my mom was also sick. What I don't think I shared is that my dad had already planned a trip to come down and visit just two weeks after we would have been up there visiting. Aaron and I, and I think even Mom were kind of wondering why Dad wanted to come visit so soon after our visit up north. Well, now we know why the Lord put it on my dad's heart to come down at that exact time!! Since we were not able to see them on our vacation, I was SO eager to have them come down.

It's such a joy to see them love our daughter and enjoy her almost as much as we do! ;) Linnea gave them lots of smiles! I don't remember everything we did together, although I can't forget that Dad won almost every game we played. He said he never wins when he plays with my sister's family, so I think he might come visit more often! :)

Mom, Kimiko (my sister-in-law), and I all went to the Ladies Fall Fellowship at our church where we had yummy food, dessert, wonderful fellowship, and heard the testimony of Barbara Cameron (Kirk Cameron's mom), which was a great blessing. We had a wonderful time just being together as a family and making some new memories. Love you mom and dad!

(This is the morning of Linnea's baby dedication)

Right now, Uncle Paul is here to visit, and next week, Uncle Andrew comes for a visit...yes, life is CRAZY busy, but full of much fun and joy! We are SO thankful for the blessing of family.

Don't worry, Linnea warmed right up to her after the initial moment :)

Papa meeting Linnea for the first time!

See....she LOVES her Grandma

And I love her too!!!

Way Better Than a Degree!

Well...I still want to post pictures from my parents' visit, but before I get to that, I just have to say how overwhelmingly thankful I am for my husband and daughter...

It is such a joy to have the privilege of serving my husband and taking care of my daughter. It's funny how I still cringe a little when I hear parents talk about their requirements for their daughters...in getting a degree for college, because it is essential for their well being. No, people don't usually say it like that, but it comes across many times that way. I cringe a little, because there is always that little fear of man in me that creeps up whenever people talk like that...I start wondering, "well, what do they think of me?", or "did I make the wrong decision in not finishing school?", or "is my family going to suffer someday because I don't have a degree?", "Am I looked down upon because I am a college drop-out?"

Yes, these things pop up in my mind sometimes, but when I think about it, I have to laugh at my ridiculousness! God...yes the Lord HIMSELF gave me NO desire to stay in college and get a degree. He gave me no convictions that it is a requirement for godliness, and he gave me every desire to be married without divided attentions. So, I have to ask myself why I doubt my own convictions, and it is most definitely my fear of man. Man, and many believers, believe it is the "right" thing to do to go to college and get a degree...and it IS the right thing to do for many people, but NOT for everyone! It is SO easy as believers to take our convictions and "write" them into the Bible as laws, but it is not right to do so! God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts...and his ways for each person are uniquely different!

What I have to realize is that the Lord put me in a unique spot by bringing a wonderful man into my life who already had a career and was ready to settle down! My parents didn't raise me to love the idea of having a career someday...they raised me to love the Lord and to become a woman who pleases Him. They raised me to love the home (although I didn't do such a wonderful job) and instilled in me a desire to be a wife and mom someday. And I am SO thankful they did! And they sent me off to college to find a godly husband :)...it's true!!! Praise be to Him, He dropped one right in front of me :) If He hadn't brought Aaron into my life, than I probably would still be in school, but the point is that He DID bring him into my life, and He DID give me the desire to marry him and serve him whole-heartedly.

So...sometimes those sinful thoughts of "what-ifs" still creep up, but I have to preach to myself that God has indeed directed my steps through my desires, and rest completely in His Word. All I need to do is open my eyes, and see that God has abundantly blessed my life.

I have a husband is who is the greatest example of Christ in my life. He serves me constantly and joyfully, and usually at the expense of his own desires. He finds ways to love me when I may be having a rough time (he brought me home a beautiful bouquet of flowers a week ago today, and they are still standing tall and gorgeous---I have said something about them everyday to him...just so he doesn't forget how much I appreciate it! ;)), and he loves his daughter more than words can say, which brings so much joy to my heart.
I have a daughter who is the most beautiful little girl in the world, and the most precious gift to our family! It is SUCH a joy and delight to take care of her everyday, and to see her smile at me ALL the time, and even try to laugh! And yes...I even love her when she is screaming at me! :)

God is SO good, and I am SO thankful that THIS is the path he has thus far chosen for me. So when those silly doubts creep up, I just need to remember that "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." (2 Peter 1:3)

And this is Daddy making Linnea "laugh"...well she tries anyway.

Changed Plans

I just want to praise the Lord for his many blessings...because as I start this blog and realize I have SO much to blog about, I realize how blessed I am to have all these things to blog about. I have a wonderful husband who works so hard and loves me so much, a beautiful daughter who brings me so much joy...we had a wonderful surprise vacation and a great visit from my parents, and extra special time with my bro, sis -in-law, and niece...I have a wonderful church body and ladies I am able to study the Word with...I have a beautiful home to take care of and food I have the privilege of cooking...and ALL these things from my wonderfull, merciful, gracious Savior. Yes! I am indeed blessed!

So...about that vacation :) Most of you know the whole story, but even if this is only so I don't forget, I figure I'll tell you the story! I called my sister while we were on the way to the airport in the morning on October 19th. During the phone call she informed me Micah and Bryan were sick, and the doctor advised to get them tested for Swine flu, because that would be dangerous for a baby. Aaron and I still decided to go, thinking "what are the odds it is swine flu?" Well, the odds beat us, and we listened to a message from her during our stop in San Jose to inform us it was indeed swine flu. My first reaction was shock....shocked at the fact that this trip that I had been looking forward to for many months was going to be different, and I wasn't going to get to see my precious family. Then the tears started to flow...I was extremely disappointed.

It didn't take long for me to see the Lord had been working and planning this all along. Aaron and I feel our lives are pretty easy, so he has to throw us a trial here and there if we are really going to be like Christ...right?? :) Well, I think so! One of the first things that came to mind on the plane was something Dr. Barrack said in the church the night before. He said "Christians have no trouble saying they trust in God's sovereignty, but do they really live like it when things don't go as planned or how we would like." (something like that anyways). I immediately realized God was testing to see if we would live joyfully in his sovereignty or be dragged along kicking and screaming...I think we did a little of both.

When my parents found out the situation, they immediately tried to "make" a vacation for just the three of us...thinking this is what we needed. My dad immediately went searching for a place for us to stay and have a relaxed vacation. I can't tell you how much of Christ I saw in my parents through there selfless desire to gift us with a vacation, and use the Lord's money to serve us...which they got tremendous joy out of. At first I didn't really want to go (I know...ridiculous...this is the kicking and screaming part) beca

I just want to praise the Lord for his many blessings...because as I start this blog and realize I have SO much to blog about, I realize how blessed I am to have all these things to blog about. I have a wonderful husband who works so hard and loves me so much, a beautiful daughter who brings me so much joy...we had a wonderful surprise vacation and a great visit from my parents, and extra special time with my bro, sis -in-law, and niece...I have a wonderful church body and ladies I am able to study the Word with...I have a beautiful home to take care of and food I have the privilege of cooking...and ALL these things from my wonderfull, merciful, gracious Savior. Yes! I am indeed blessed! So...about that vacation :) Most of you know the whole story, but even if this is only so I don't forget, I figure I'll tell you the story! I called my sister while we were on the way to the airport in the morning on October 19th. During the phone call she informed me Micah and Bryan were sick, and the doctor advised to get them tested for Swine flu, because that would be dangerous for a baby. Aaron and I still decided to go, thinking "what are the odds it is swine flu?" Well, the odds beat us, and we listened to a message from her during our stop in San Jose to inform us it was indeed swine flu. My first reaction was shock....shocked at the fact that this trip that I had been looking forward to for many months was going to be different, and I wasn't going to get to see my precious family. Then the tears started to flow...I was extremely disappointed. It didn't take long for me to see the Lord had been working and planning this all along. Aaron and I feel our lives are pretty easy, so he has to throw us a trial here and there if we are really going to be like Christ...right?? :) Well, I think so! One of the first things that came to mind on the plane was something Dr. Barrack said in the church the night before. He said "Christians have no trouble <span style="font-style: italic;">saying</span> they trust in God's sovereignty, but do they really <span style="font-style: italic;">live</span> like it when things don't go as planned or how we would like." (something like that anyways). I immediately realized God was testing to see if we would live joyfully in his sovereignty or be dragged along kicking and screaming...I think we did a little of both. When my parents found out the situation, they immediately tried to "make" a vacation for just the three of us...thinking this is what we needed. My dad immediately went searching for a place for us to stay and have a relaxed vacation. I can't tell you how much of Christ I saw in my parents through there selfless desire to gift us with a vacation, and use the Lord's money to serve us...which they got tremendous joy out of. At first I didn't really want to go (I know...ridiculous...this is the kicking and screaming part) because I was so looking forward to spending time with family, that I didn't want to do anything else. It makes me sad to even write that, because I should have been thrilled at the prospect of spending quality time with my husband, who probably felt somewhat unloved. Anyways, both Aaron and I were a little emotional and weren't sure if we should accept this gift from my parents if we couldn't truly appreciate it, but they pretty much made us go, and we are SOOO thankful they did!!! We stayed a few days at David and Michelle's, and were incredibly thankful for their hospitality (I think Michelle made me gain a couple punds in the two days we were there with all the yummy baking she did :)). So we got to spend a little extra time with them and Paul, which was a blessing. We also hit downtown Seattle, and ate yummy New England Chowder and the best hot chocolate we have ever had. This was the first day that the excitement of spending fun, precious time with my husband and daughter really set in, and I knew that this was going to be a great time! Well, my parents sent us to an inn in Ocean Shores, WA right on the coast! We rented a car and drove through the beautiful fall colors to get there. We borrowed some things from David and Michelle, and even a baby bjorn from their friends! We went for a walk on the chilly(and dlightful!) beach every day, which was beautiful! Just the sound of the ocean makes me happy :) We played games, went for walks to get coffe, cuddled on the couch and watched a couple movies. We even went bowling...and I'm ashamed to say he crushed me! It was SO restful...and obvioulsy what the Lord knew we needed. It kinda makes me laugh that all those months that I was excited for one trip, the Lord knew it would be a whole different trip. God is SO amazing, and I am so grateful that He knows what is best and gives us what is best, even when it comes in hard packages. The fact that he gave us something diffucult so that we might learn lessons and become more like His Son is SO worth it! Our Heavenly Father is all we really need in life to be joyful! Something my husband said on our trip is that the Lord was showing us HOW much we have to be thankful for and showing us what is most important to Him. The Lord should be my ultimate source of joy, and beyond that my husband and daughter should be the next. Extended family is the cherry on top, but my immediate family is the ice cream (that was Aaron's analogy! Sorry family if that makes you feel like an outcast, but being a cherry is really not that bad...I LOVE cherries!). AND as most of you know...we got to see my sister's family and meet the boys anyway!!! They all got better really fast (praise be to God), so we were able to drive over to Yakima and spend a day with them. I am so thankful for that precious day with my sister and her wonderful family. We are so grateful to meet the new "babies" in the family too. They are precious! Aaron and Bryan even watched all the kids so my sister and I could go out for a cup of coffee, which was such a blessing! Aaron also took all the boys to Lowes to get items to make the game "ladder golf", and they made all in a couple hours! It was such a blessing to see my husband so excited to do something fun for his nieces and nephews! We then drove through the first snow storm of the year to get back to the airport and then proceeded to go through the worst turbulance ever on our plane ride home...strangers were literaly holding hands from fear of going down (no joke!). Thankfully Linnea slept through most of the plane rides...she did great!! I was holding her when I stepped off the plane into 55 mph winds and almost blew away with her (also no joke!:)) ...that immediately told us why there was so much turbulance. So...whew...that about sums it up. The verse that immediately came use I was so looking forward to spending time with family, that I didn't want to do anything else. It makes me sad to even write that, because I should have been thrilled at the prospect of spending quality time with my husband, who probably felt somewhat unloved. Anyways, both Aaron and I were a little emotional and weren't sure if we should accept this gift from my parents if we couldn't truly appreciate it, but they pretty much made us go, and we are SOOO thankful they did!!!

We stayed a few days at David and Michelle's, and were incredibly thankful for their hospitality (I think Michelle made me gain a couple punds in the two days we were there with all the yummy baking she did :)). So we got to spend a little extra time with them and Paul, which was a blessing. We also hit downtown Seattle, and ate yummy New England Chowder and the best hot chocolate we have ever had. This was the first day that the excitement of spending fun, precious time with my husband and daughter really set in, and I knew that this was going to be a great time!

Well, my parents sent us to an inn in Ocean Shores, WA right on the coast! We rented a car and drove through the beautiful fall colors to get there. We borrowed some things from David and Michelle, and even a baby bjorn from their friends! We went for a walk on the chilly(and dlightful!) beach every day, which was beautiful! Just the sound of the ocean makes me happy :) We played games, went for walks to get coffee, cuddled on the couch and watched a couple movies. We even went bowling...and I'm ashamed to say he crushed me! It was SO restful...and obvioulsy what the Lord knew we needed.
It kinda makes me laugh that all those months that I was excited for one trip, the Lord knew it would be a whole different trip. God is SO amazing, and I am so grateful that He knows what is best and gives us what is best, even when it comes in hard packages. The fact that he gave us something diffucult so that we might learn lessons and become more like His Son is SO worth it!
Our Heavenly Father is all we really need in life to be joyful! Something my husband said on our trip is that the Lord was showing us HOW much we have to be thankful for and showing us what is most important to Him. The Lord should be my ultimate source of joy, and beyond that my husband and daughter should be the next. Extended family is the cherry on top, but my immediate family is the ice cream (that was Aaron's analogy! Sorry family if that makes you feel like an outcast, but being a cherry is really not that bad...I LOVE cherries!).

AND as most of you know...we got to see my sister's family and meet the boys anyway!!! They all got better really fast (praise be to God), so we were able to drive over to Yakima and spend a day with them. I am so thankful for that precious day with my sister and her wonderful family. We are so grateful to meet the new "babies" in the family too. They are precious! Aaron and Bryan even watched all the kids so my sister and I could go out for a cup of coffee, which was such a blessing! Aaron also took all the boys to Lowes to get items to make the game "ladder golf", and they made all in a couple hours! It was such a blessing to see my husband so excited to do something fun for his nieces and nephews!

We then drove through the first snow storm of the year to get back to the airport and then proceeded to go through the worst turbulance ever on our plane ride home...strangers were literally holding hands from fear of going down (no joke!). Thankfully Linnea slept through most of the plane rides...she did great!! I was holding her when I stepped off the plane into 55 mph winds and almost blew away with her (also no joke!:)) ...that immediately told us why there was so much turbulence.

This is what she did for most of the plane rides

Downtown Seattle

Is she embarrassed?....no....just sleeping :)

All bundled up!

...and again...

I think the verse that came to mind quite often during that trip is Isaiah 55:8, which says, "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." I don't know that he could have demonstrated that to us in any better way! His ways are indeed better...well better than better, they are BEST!

ps...sorry if the pictures being on the sides and therefore making the words practically vertical gives you a headache. It's a little crazier than I had imagined :P

Yes...We Are Home

Well...just in case you were wondering, we are indeed still alive! The fact that I haven't blogged since we have been back is testimony to the fact that life never stops! I feel like we have been home for weeks and weeks, but it has only been a little over a week. I have wanted to blog about so many things since we have been home... our vacation, events that have taken place since we have been home, and some of the many things God is teaching me. The funny thing is that one of the biggest things God is teaching me right now is time management, priority planning, not being lazy with my time, spending more time in His Word, etc. So now you see why I can't blog everyday (let alone every week)...because I am not at the point where I am using my time so productively that I have time to do "other" things that aren't necessary. Now that's not to say we haven't been like every other "normal" family...BUSY!

The day after we arrived home, Aaron jumped right back into work and many other things, and I jumped back into the 3 Bible studies I am in with lots of homework attached (I know...I won't do three at the same time again, but since I did that choice, God has blessed it and I am learning SO much!), planning a Baby shower, trying to get the house clean, meal planning, cooking, a wedding rehearsal and wedding this past weekend...and the list could go on.

Business is nothing new to any wife and mother, but thanks to my small discipleship group (and the book Creative Counterpart that we are going through), I have realized life does not need to be so crazy! I can actually become an organized person and get my priorities straight and diligently use my time! And this is what the Lord has called me to do. This last week we made a detailed schedule of what our week should look like. So for a whole week we have planned out what tasks we would get done each day and what meal we would make that day. One thing I have learned that I think will really help is the fact that I need to complete one task before moving on to the next. It's so easy for me to start something, and as I am doing that "something", I see something else that needs to be done, and start doing that thing, and so on...I have realized this does not help my situation! :P

Anyways, there is so much more I could share on that subject, but I only have so much time.
Another thing I am SO excited the Lord has shown me is that I had forgotten what it means to meditate on scripture, which is exactely what the Lord calls us to do...meditate on his Word daily, and even all day. I am grieved that I haven't been diligent to do this lately, but excited that the Lord has convicted me of this so I can now seek to glorify Him and grow in my relationship with Him by looking for HIM in what I read. In our study, Created Into His Image, the author goes into detail about what it means to meditate on scripture and how important it is in fellowship with our Savior.

"Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one's mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let His truth make its full and proper impact on one's mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to God about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneselfe out of moods and doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace. Its effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God's greatness and glory, and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us---'comfort' us, in the old, strong, Bible sense of the word---as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ...and it is as we enter more and more deeply into this experience of being humbles and exalted that our knowledge of God increases, and with it our peace, strength, and our joy. God help us, then, to put our knowledge about god to this use, that we all may in truth 'know the Lord'".

Jim Berg also says, "Your Bible is first and foremost a revelation from God about His Son. There is a Person at the center of everything you read in the Bible. If you merely look for principles and encouraging passages, you will find what you are looking for, but you will miss God in the process." When I am reading scripture, I need to stop and ask myself, "what does this passage reveal about Jesus Christ?" I need to think about what attributes of God I see in a certain passage, and then ask many questions regarding that. For example...Jim Berg takes the story in John about the feeding of the 5 thousand. He sees in that story the compassion of Christ, and gives us an example of many questions we could ask ourselves regarding that attribute.

1. What is compassion?
2. What esle do I know about God's compassion?
3. Who else in the Bible experienced it?
4. Who else in the Bible demostrated it?
5. How has God personally demonstrated compassion to me?
6. Since I am called to be Christlike, how am I doing in displaying compassion?
7. If it has been lacking in my dail contacts with people, what have others been seeing in me insted of the compassion that would have been Christlike in those situations?

He goes on to say much more, but these questions have fired me up, and I am excited to implement these kinds of questions into my time of meditating of the Word. It is my prayer that God would "search" me and "try" me daily, as I seek to grow into the image of my heavenly Father.

My time is up for the moment, as I didn't expect to relay half of the chapter in the book to you, but I couldn't help it! I will do my best to write about our wonderful vacation soon!

Fun and Frustration

This past week was a sweet blessing from the Lord, as I got to spend the majority of it with my dearest friend from Woodland, California(where I went to high school), Desiree. We haven't seen each other since my wedding, so it has been quite some time! She came to visit during her fall break at school, and I was so blessed for the wonderful fellowship and her servant's heart. She came on her break, and yet was more than willing to help out in any way! Thank you Desiree! I think we have officially scared her away from having kids for quite some time after she is married :). I'm sure she has heard enough crying to last at least a few years!

That last statement might surprise you, but our poor daughter has cried more this last week than she ever has before!! I praise the Lord that Desiree was here to help in the midst of a busy week with some church activities, and it also forced me to persevere through my daughter's crying with a good attitude...although, I can promise my attitude was not always good.

Linnea's crying wasn't just normal fussiness, because she cried during her feedings and wouldn't eat nearly as much as she used to. I was pretty sure it was gas, but I was not sure how to help her. I also thought of foods that I may have eaten that may have caused problems, but I couldn't think of anything different that I had been eating. She has gotten better over the last 24 hours, and I think I just figured out today what the problem is from good ole' googling! I knew she was swallowing air while she eats, which I figured may have been causing some of the gas, and apparently that is probably the problem. My milk comes out too fast for her to handle. Anyways, I shall spare you the details, but praise the Lord I think we are on the right track to helping her. We have her two month appt. this Thursday, so we'll see if the doctor knows something we don't!

I think one of the hardest things so far about mothering is knowing your daughter is uncomfortable and not knowing why and being unable to help her. It is heart-wrenching and frustrating. I caught myself sinning in anger so many times. I would take my anger out on my poor daughter who couldn't help herself, but I think I was really angry at the Lord for giving me a problem (NOT my daughter, but her discomfort) I couldn't fix. I found myself asking for forgiveness time and time again, and then getting even more frustrated that I kept sinning in anger. I realize that when I don't purpose to renew my mind with truth, preach to myself verses that are applicable, and replace my anger with trust and reliance (since that is what the Lord wants to teach me through hard situations), I inevitably repeat my sin. So may I lay aside my sin, be renewed in my mind with the pure truth from the Word, and put on the righteousness of Christ!

...and I had to post this one because it is too cute and funny! Aaron and I went to the hot tub and put her in this "body bag" (Aaron says that is a morbid thought) to keep her warm outside.

Already Dead

Well, to be honest, I was quite excited to have time to write a post today, but now that I have actually gotten around to it, I'm pretty worn out. So, this won't be a very long post (so I say), but I still want to show you some updated pics and share a tidbit from Bible Study this morning.

We are going through the book "Changed Into His Image" and it has been fantastic! The book is about sanctification and becoming more like Christ. The study today was on justification- our position in Christ. I think it amazes me every day that I stand as holy and righteous as Christ before a just God. Christ's blood on the cross is what justified me, and Christ's blood on the cross is what is sanctifying me.

What struck me big time today is one quote our pastor said (he was our guest speaker in our ladies' Bible study today :)) It was something he said he tells himself when he is struggling with sin...he tells himself "Christ has already died for this sin and PUT IT TO DEATH. Therefore, I do not have to give into this sin! I won't give into this sin, for it doesn't have any power over me!" I know it sounds a little crazy, but in my mind it totally made sense! To think about the fact that Christ's death has paid for all my past sins AND all the sins I will ever commit amazes me! So the next time I am struggling with a bad attitude I just can't seem to kick, I need to remember that sin is no longer my master. I need to remember that the power lies within me (the Holy Spirit Himself!!!) to overcome the sin. When I feel defeated by a sin, I need to remember that Christ has already won the victory!!

Well, as you can see above, our beautiful daughter has started smiling! I got the first smile from her when I was getting her ready for church two Sundays ago (I know, I'm sorry I didn't post a picture sooner), and it just melted my heart. Don't worry...Daddy has gotten lots of smiles too! Her are some more pics!

All warm and cozy after bathtime

This is Dr. Frields, who delivered both my daughter and I! :)
He said she is a "Gerber baby"...he was really precious with her, so apparently he still loves babies after all these years! I think we woke her up for this picture, which is what the chubby look is for...haha

Big yawn (well, actually it is a small one for her ;))
Hanging out with Daddy after dinner on the patio

Yes, she is getting very big!!!

Linnea recently found her fist and enjoys sucking it and slobbering all over it! I know, I know, we are definitely new parents to think that our child sucking on her fist is the most adorable thing ever! :P



Romans 6:8-14

"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

Nothing is Mine

Aaron and I just began a book entitled "Your Money Counts" by Howard Dayton, and there is most definitely some good stuff to chew on! We are reading it as homework preparation for the Crown Financial Bible Study that begins in three weeks, which we are greatly anticipating! There is a section in the chapter we read that was a great reminder...if we truly think like this every day, then we surely will be content when things don't go the way we plan with our possessions.

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The First Step Toward Contentment

To learn to be conent, you must recognize God as the owner of all your possessions. If you believe you own even a single possession, then the circumstances affecting that possession will be reflected in your attitude. If something favoable happens to that possession, then you will be happy. But if something bad occurs, then you will be discontented.

After Jim Sennef went through the exercise of transferring ownership of everything he possessed to God, he bought a new car. It was just two days old when a young person drove into the side of it. Jim's first reaction was, "Well, God, I don't know why you want a dent in the side of Your new car, but you certainly have a big one!" Similarly, when John Wesley learned that his home had been destroyed by fire, he exclaimed, "The Lord's house burned, One less responsibility for me!"

Yet it is not so easy to maintain this perspective consistently, It is far too easy to think that the possessions we have and the money we earn are entirely the result of our skills and achievements. We find it difficult not to believe we have earned the right to their ownership. I am the master of my fate, the humanist says. I alone own my possessions. Obviously, this view of owndership is the precailing one in our culture.

Giving up ownership is not easy, nor is it a once-and-for-all transaction. We constantly need to be reminded that God owns all our possessions.

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If we truly had this mindset, can you imagine how much anger we could be preventing?? How often during the week do we get upset because something has gone wrong with one of our possessions, or we don't have certain possessions we would like? To go even further, it makes me think of the fact that God even "owns" my time...well, I mean he is in control of it. So even when I don't get anything on my "to-do list" done because my daughter has a rough day, I can rejoice in what the Lord has given me to do (taking care of her), or I can become angry and frustrated that my husband has to come home to an exhausted wife and a cluttered home. (Yes, that was a struggle for me this week.

So basically...nothing is mine...it is all the Lord's. In the world's eyes, that may seem crazy, but in the eyes of a redeemed child, it is cause for rejoicing!

"Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from You alone, and You are the Ruler of all mankind; Your hand controls power and might, and it is at Your discretion that men are made greatand given strength."

~Kind David, I Chronicles 29:11-12~

Growing....

Who could resist this?

Here are a couple pics to kind of give you an idea of how much she has grown...

A few days old

One month old

Our Little Red Sox Fan

Well...thanks to the Pichuras, we are training her young where her loyalties ought to lie concerning baseball. :) She is most definitely the cutest Red Sox fan I have ever seen! :) Although I have to admit that we aren't exactely acting like avid fans since we can't afford (or maybe choose not to) cable, much less satellite, nor can we really afford the time to watch the games. Maybe someday....

She turned four weeks old yesterday (which I'm sure you could do that math) and grows with each passing day. To be honest...there is not too much more to say about her...she doesn't do much besides look really adorable, eat, sleep (looooots of sleep), grunt (which leads to pooping), pee, smile (in her sleep), yawn (which is sooo cute), spit up...and so on... oh and cry.

(This is her "pirate eyes" stare. She does it quite often! :))

She is a true joy to take care of with each passing day. And on an encouraging note, I am already learning how to get things done...slowly but surely. The house is actually clean at the moment...although it took a few days!





(Yes...she is smiling in her half sleep state...which by the way, she fell asleep sitting up)



As far as updates go on us :) (I suppose I don't just have to update you about the baby), we are doing well! Most definitely tired, especially my husband. Aaron's schedule starts at 6:00, sometimes 5:45 (which is very early for him). He accompanies for a high school choir at 7:00am on Tues.-Thurs. and teaches Theory 3 and 4 at The Master's College from 8:00-9:00am on Mon, Wed, and Fri. Then he heads off to work for the rest of the day! Yes...he is working incredibly hard to support our family! And I am SO grateful for him and his willingness and joy to serve our family! He sometimes comes home early and works from home, because he misses his little girl (and maybe me :)). He is also going to be playing the piano in the TMC jazz band this semester, and that's just for fun.

Aaron and I hope to do the Crown Financial Study at church these next couple of months, depending on what night it falls on. Just when we thought we were doing a good job with our money, the Lord gave us a few difficult months financially, and we aren't exactly sure why...so we decided it was time to get some help :). Actually, we do know some of it has to do with a new baby, but we really do know there is improvement to be made in our budgeting, and we want to be good stewards of what the Lord has given us.


Grampy came to visit for and afternoon and evening...which was SO exciting! He flew out a day early for a business trip in LA, and got to meet his "little princess" (that was his nickname for her...which was precious).

He said our baby is "not normal". Haha...We didn't realize sleeping a lot and not crying all the time was abnormal, but boy are we thankful if this is the case. I'm sure there are all sorts of different situations out there!

I am planning on going to the women's bible study that starts next week, and I am incredibly excited! We are going to be studying the book "Changed Into His Image" by Jim Berg. Since that is exactely what I need to be striving for in life, I think it will be great...and probably quite convicting!

And lastly...this video is the often case of trying to wake Linnea up to eat. She is actually progressing in the waking up department, but sometimes it is hopeless...such was this occassion. Our friends Nathan and Leanna Fogde came down for a visit and we all had a blast with her very limp limbs. I couldn't suppress my laughter at the fact that Linnea didn't even flinch! I wish I could sleep this soundly.



Oh, and one more lastly! I read this beautiful encouraging Psalm today; yet quite convicting....I want to memorize this portion, because I most definitely need to remember these truths during hard situations when I am most likely to forget who my source of strength is. Often when things get tough, I try to stand on my own strength, which is like quicksand, rather than the rock of my salvation, which shall never be shaken. No....no.....no.....no....never be shacken (sorry...a Seeds song just sprang to mind :)).

"My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him AT ALL TIMES, o people; pour out your heart before Him."

And what just struck me NOW (so neat how the Lord can open your eyes to new things every time!!!) is "on God my salvation and my glory rest." My salvation rests wholly upon the Lord, and it will NEVER be taken away from me! Here I was just thinking after I wrote the passage that I fail so many times in trusting the Lord at all times, and I feel like I let the Lord down. BUT that doesn't change the fact that I am saved one bit. It doesn't change Christ's work on the cross and His love for me. It doesn't change my righteous standing before the Lord! WOW! And He WILL be glorified in me and through my salvation! Praise the Lord! And may I continue to grow in my obedience and trust because of these great truths. There couldn't be a better motivation!