Great Time Away!!

Well...it's the middle of the night right now...and no, I don't do this on purpose! :) One joy of pregnancy for me has been many nights of broken sleep. Having to go potty, can't find a comfortable position, hungry, thirsty (which is really bad because then I have to go potty even more!)...I'm sure if you have any children you have probably been there! :)

So! I thought I would update you on a wonderful trip. Resolved was absolutely AMAZING! There were truths I learned from the scriptures that weekend that I have never known or realized, and I would love to go into a little more detail, but I shall save that for another time if I get the chance. I will tell you one thing though that I am very excited about! After having three days straight of solid, passionate preaching from the Word, Aaron and I decided we would like to start listening to more sermons habitually. So, as a start we are making Wednesday night a "Sermon Night." We started with John Piper's message "What is the Recession For?" which gave us MANY things to talk about for the rest of the night, and to chew on and pray over for the weeks and months to come. It was also greatly convicted us in our heart priorities. I would highly recommend it for those of you who are not very busy (that was a joke:)), even if and maybe even more so if the recession has not hugely affected your financial situation. You can listen to it here. Grab your husband (if you have one), and make a Sermon Date out of it!

After Resolved we had a wonderful time in Arizona with family! We went bowling, shopping, swimming....played games, and just enjoyed being with His family. It was quite refreshing! Here are just a few photos!

Aaron was taking this one...

We played knock-out in the pool and on dry ground, and I think I lost every time! :)

We celebrated father's day early at a very yummy restaurant....AND the waiter brought us out a free desert sampler at the end....mmmmm, it was tasty!

Well, I think my daughter is now resting after running a marathon...you should have seen my stomach moving a few minutes ago!!! And I think it's time I try and go back to sleep...I guess my side-profile belly shot and pictures of our sweet daughter's face (with her foot covering her nose and mouth) will have to wait for another day. ;) Her foot is up there because she is in the breech position...so PLEASE pray with me that she flips! I spent a whole day worrying about it, and knew that is NOT the response the Lord wants me to have, nor does it do me any good. I am not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself! And God is totally sovereign over what position my baby is in. She still has wiggle room to move, too.

Alright...I'm checking out and going to bed. Sweet dreams for the present and have a blessed Saturday!!

Just a Little Update...

Well....we're off to Resolved Conference tomorrow, and we are VERY excited!! I have never heard Piper or Mahaney in person, so I am anticipating all the stories I've heard about both their personalities and appearances! Then we're off to Arizona to visit his family for the rest of next week, so I guess tomorrow starts quite a long vacation, which should be wonderful! Although I must admit I am not looking forward to a lot of time in the car...

Our baby girl has decided that she loves to kick and punch mommy, and get up into her ribs. She also loves the right side of my uterus. I thought by now that she wouldn't have room to pick a side, but she has most certainly created the room!!! It's amazing to see how lopsided my tummy is sometimes, and how off-center my belly button is!! The doctor said her head is down, so prayerfully it stays that way, and I think her heartbeat was 145 this week...still quite rapid!! It's still incredible for Aaron and I to fathom that there is a little person inside of me, and her little hands and feet are what cause weird bulges to pop up on my stomach. Sometimes she hurts me...more-so now than earlier, but I LOVE feeling her move. It reminds me of the beautiful, functioning baby God is fashioning inside of me.

OH, and for those of you who don't know, her name is Linnea Joy. It's pronounced how it looks, so hopefully you can figure it out. :) Aaron and I can't wait to meet this little girl (well...I suppose it could be a boy...wouldn't that be a surprise :)) and are so thankful to the Lord for this little gift. Even though she is still inside of me, I can already tell what a blessing from the Lord this child is, and she is evidence of the magnificence of our Creator!

Psalms 139:13-16: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Contentment....Yikes!

Last week I took a wonderful trip to visit my family in Washington, and it was truly a blessed time! I stayed with my sister's family, and my mom and dad came to visit as well. The great fun and precious fellowship with my mom and sister could hardly be beat!

But let me tell you...coming home was a hard thing to do. Don't worry, I was VERY excited to see my husband, but once I was home I wanted to take him right back there with me. I struggle on and off with being away from family, but I didn't expect to struggle so horribly with contentment these past few days.

Praise the Lord for a precious, understanding husband who practically WAS ready to pick up and move because he loves me so much. LOL. Ok...maybe not THAT crazy, but he is SO understanding! We have prayed a lot together and his love for me through a rough couple of days has been SO encouraging.

These past few days, I have read the book of Philippians and a number of scriptures to pound into my little brain and heart that our God is SO sovereign and we are to be so incredibly thankful in ALL circumstances. This is what brings me to "Ella's Prescription for Contentment". I don't know who Ella is, but it's a piece of paper I was given at a women's retreat a few years ago with five points to preach to yourself when you are struggling with what the Lord has given you. I refer back to it often. And really this is God's prescription for contentment given to us in the Word.

• Never allow yourself to complain about anything---not even the weather! Phil. 2:14-15 "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation."
• Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else (Uh-Oh!). 1 Thes. 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
• Never compair your lot with another's. Psalm 16:5 "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You(the Lord) support my lot." HE has ASSIGNED me my portion and my cup.
• Never allow youself to wish this or that had been otherwise. Psalm 16:8 "I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
• Never dwell on tomorrow- remember that it(tomorrow) is God's, not ours. Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (see the whole passage 6:25-34)

So...as you can see, I have no excuse! I don't believe it's wrong to have desires to be close to family, and maybe someday the Lord will honor those desires, bit it IS wrong to let them become a means for discontentment. I need to be thankful for what the Lord has willed for my life! And he has given me SO many blessings! His plan is perfect for each day, and although I think certain things would be wonderful, the Lord obviously has better things in mind for the time being!