6.26.2013
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6.16.2013
9. father's day
My Father…
My father is a man of small stature, but he is a man of great
grit and grace and is known by his friend and former N.Y. Giants full back Lee
Rouson as “the Rock”. For those of you with any familiarity with pop-culture,
this is not in any way a reference to the WWE star Dwayne Johnson, but rather a
reference to the Apostle Peter (the Greek noun Πέτρος can be translated “rock”
or “Peter”). As a kid, my father played the role of Saint Peter in our church’s
dramatization of the Passion of Christ. The role was very fitting of my dad’s
personality and character. My dad, a mechanical tradesman from northern New
Jersey (don’t ask “what exit?”), is a blue-collar man’s man. Very much like the
Apostle Peter, my father is a man of action – my dad is the first to speak-up
and the first to act. He is not one for polished polity and he is definitely
not “politically correct”. As a former
Sergeant in the United States Air Force, my dad is also a natural leader of men
– not the type of leader to rally the troops with long-winded inspirational
speeches, but the kind of guy that leads by the example of great exploits.
My dad is not only like the Apostle Peter, but in many ways
he is very much like a rock – strong and steadfast. Physically , my dad’s body
has withstood some of the most devastating blows – falling head-first from a three-story building, a major car
accident, two strokes, and a quadruple bypass heart surgery are just a few
examples. Spiritually, my dad is known for is unwavering, faithfulness to the
truth of God’s Word – he will not budge. To my dad, the Bible is sufficient for
life and godliness and it is the ultimate and final standard of truth. This is precisely why a man of NFL status and stature can literally tower over my dad,
look down at him, and with the greatest respect and highest regard, address him
as “the Rock”.
In many ways I am a chip off of the ole rock (not block). Not
because I have pro athletes addressing me by ultra-masculine nicknames
(although that would be cool), but simply because I am a product of my dad’s
purposeful fathering. My dad taught me (many times by example) so much about
what it means to be a godly man. One of the most treasured lessons I took away
from the years that I spent as the son of my father’s house was the valued
lesson of fighting – fighting for the truth, fighting for the honor of a woman
(of which I have done for my wife, just like my dad did for my mom), fighting
temptation, and fighting in the defense of the defenseless. My father (along with my mother) not only
taught me practical lessons about life, like fighting and how to properly treat
women, but they intentionally instilled in me a high view of God’s Word.
Because of my parent’s faithfulness to raise me in the fear and admonition of
the Lord, I grew up trusting my Bible, believing that it was without error and
authoritative. These fundamental, yet great truths have been so instrumental
in my life.
My Son …
On April 12th, 2013 Katie and I experienced a
whirlwind of emotion. We welcomed our first son, Judah Blaze, into this world
at 1:14 pm and just a short time later at 2:55 pm he passed away in Katie’s
arms.
When the most violent of waves have beaten against my adult
life, I continue to find myself fixed upon the firm foundation that was laid
for me as a young boy – the Bible. As a father who has grieved the death of his
son, the Bible has taught me three things this father’s day.
1. God has created
all things - The Bible is explicit and clear, God is the creator and
sustainer of all things –
“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the
heaven of heavens, with their entire host, the earth and all that is on it, the
seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of
heaven worships you.” (Nehemiah 9:6)
“I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and
create darkness, I make well-being and created calamity, I am the Lord, who
does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)
“All things were made through him, and without him was not
any thing made that was made.”(John 1:3)
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities
–all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16)
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and
honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and
were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
In summary, God is the source of all life – he is the
primary cause of our existence (Gen. 1:1). All life exists for God’s pleasure –
“all things were created through him and for him”. God has created all things
in accordance with his divine, pre-determined, and perfect will – “and by your
will they existed and were created”.
2. God created my son
– If God has created all things, than
my son was purposefully and intentionally created.
King David, speaking of his own existence, stated “For you
formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise
you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul
knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in
secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.” (Psalm 139:13-15). These
words of David are an expression of the intimate role that God plays in
creating all human life. Without any reservation, I can confidently say that God
knit my son together in his mother’s womb, for God’s own magnificent glory.
3. God ordained the
death of my son – If God has created all things for his glory, and is in
control of his creation, than God not
only ordained the time of my son’s birth, but also the time of his death.
Job understood God’s sovereignty over life and death. When
mourning the death of his own children, Job uttered these words, “The Lord
gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). The Bible tells us that God
gives and God takes away, but he does so with the greatest purpose and intent.
Job’s personal reflection of the human life is a great example of this; “Since
his days are determined and the number of his months is with you, and you have
appointed his limits that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). In short, God has
pre-determined our time of birth and our time of death. This truth captures the
Biblical illustration of humanity as clay pots – God is the potter, sovereignly
making what he chooses out of his clay (Romans 9:19-21).
Because God is sovereign, he does not make accidents or
mistakes; “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can
be thwarted” (Job 42:2). With such truth there is great comfort –knowing that my
son’s life and death happened according to God’s perfect plan is beyond
comforting. John Calvin said it best, “Ignorance of providence is the ultimate
of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it.”
Katie and I have taken great comfort in knowing that God was
(and still is) completely sovereign over the life and death of our son. We trust in God’s predetermined and perfect
will for our lives. We also know that he is using Judah’s life to shape and
mold us into the image of Christ, for his glory – “we know that for those who
love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according
to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed
to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers” (Romans 8:28-29).
These truths have taught me to say, “For from him and
through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”
(Romans 11:36)
Soli Deo Gloria – To God alone be the glory!
Kasey
5.24.2013
8. embracing the here and now
Having Judah changed me. The 21 weeks and 5 days that I carried him, the day and half of uncertainty spent in the hospital leading up to his birth, the 4 hours of labor pains, the 30+ minutes of pushing, the two sweet short hours that we had with him, and the weeks following his death. All of this changed me, forever.
I remember the day we found out that I was pregnant. We went to buy a pregnancy test on a whim because I was having cravings, I had been incredibly snappy (or 'fiery' as Kasey calls it) lately, and I found myself more tired than normal. Oh, and I was late. But the being late wasn't anything abnormal and it was only a few days so we weren't too convinced. In fact, after the first test came back positive, I still wasn't convinced. I took one pregnancy test a day for the next three days, just to make sure.
Two short weeks after we found out, the morning sickness kicked in. However, I wasn't just nauseous in the morning, but rather from the time I sat up in bed until about six o'clock every evening. And that's when it began. This longing for the future welled up inside of me. At first, I couldn't wait for the first trimester to be over. I counted down the days until I reached the thirteen-week mark. But it didn't end there. In fact, it grew from there. When I arrived at the second trimester, I was relived. The nausea was subsiding and I was slowing gaining my energy back a little more each day. When I found myself with a little bump, I couldn't wait for a bigger one. When one doctor's appointment was over, I was counting down the days until the next one. I often found myself wishing that my whole pregnancy was over and this little bundle inside of me was here already.
The day that I was admitted to the hospital, everything changed. Suddenly, I found myself wishing that everything would slow down. I wanted to be pregnant for another eighteen long weeks. I wanted to have a huge belly in the middle of a hot Virginia summer. In fact, I found myself wishing that I would be put on bed rest for the next eighteen weeks. I wanted all of this because it meant that my baby would be okay.
When Judah was born at 1:14 pm on April 12th, and his fragile, 15.9 ounce self was laid on my chest, my world was turned upside down. I wanted so badly for time to stand still. I wanted to soak up every single moment with him that I could. I wanted to take it all in. I wanted to hold on and not let go. I didn't want that moment to come when the nurse would look at me with tears in her eyes and nod, letting me know that his heart had stopped. I didn't want that time to come when I would have to give his lifeless body one last kiss and say my final goodbye, but it came.
Looking back, I realize that I was always wishing that I was one step, sometimes four or five steps, ahead of where I actually was. Part of this was pure excitement and joy for the future and what was to come. However, looking back, a part of it was sin. It was discontentment. I didn't like being tired all the time. I really didn't like the morning sickness. And I hated gaining weight in unwanted places. There I was for the past five months, selfishly wishing my pregnancy away and it was gone way too soon. Looking back, I was rarely happy with the here and now.
Kasey and I have spent the past three months without a job or home (more on that later) and leading up to Judah's birth, we were both in a hurry to check those things off of our 'to do' list. When Judah was born, we saw things from a different perspective, God's perspective. He knew what was to come. He knew how much harder it would have been to deal with juggling a full time job in the midst of tragedy. He knew the extra pain it would have caused to go home by ourselves, empty handed, to a room all made up for a baby that we no longer had. He knew that we would need the next few weeks to be with our friends and family.
Over the past six weeks, the Lord has been teaching me to slow down and embrace the 'here and now,' wherever I am. Right now, that means embracing a time when we are both unemployed and mostly living with our parents. It means praising Him for this period of rest that He's blessed us with and stopping to enjoy it because all too soon the craziness of life will kick back in and we'll be on the go again. It means thanking Him for time spent with family because we normally only get to visit a couple of times a year due to distance and work schedules. It's so hard being patient and content when you are waiting on the Lord, but I'm learning all over again that it is so worth it. He knows exactly what we need and exactly when we need it. He doesn't take us through trials or difficult circumstances to frustrate us and make us angry. He does it because that's whats best for us. If you have a personal relationship with Him, He uses each and every trial and circumstance to prepare us for our future; to grow our faith in Him; and to make us more like Himself. He is constantly sanctifying us more and more each and every day.
So, if you are single, don't wish it away. Enjoy your days with your friends and spend more of your alone time with the Lord. If you are married and trying to have children, treasure the one-on-one time that you have with your spouse while you wait. Once you have a child, it will never be just the two of you ever again. If you are pregnant, praise God for the morning sickness, the exhaustion, and weight gain. Enjoy the moments when you feel your baby kicking or you have the priveledge of hearing its tiny heart beat. If you are blessed with children, treasure every moment you have with them. Enjoy each stage of life as you watch them grow. Embrace the good days and the hard ones because you'll never get any of those days of their lives back again. If you have a home and a job, be grateful to God for it and take advantage of the opportunities He has given you to be a light to those around you. Slow down and embrace the here and now. Stop wishing away this stage in your life and start asking the Lord what He's teaching you through it. Train yourself to bring Him praise on the mountain tops and praise in the trenches of this life. Slow down enough to watch His grace work in and through you. Give Him thanks every single day for the here and now that He has blessed you with because He's using it for your good and His glory!
Clinging to this hope today:
I remember the day we found out that I was pregnant. We went to buy a pregnancy test on a whim because I was having cravings, I had been incredibly snappy (or 'fiery' as Kasey calls it) lately, and I found myself more tired than normal. Oh, and I was late. But the being late wasn't anything abnormal and it was only a few days so we weren't too convinced. In fact, after the first test came back positive, I still wasn't convinced. I took one pregnancy test a day for the next three days, just to make sure.
Two short weeks after we found out, the morning sickness kicked in. However, I wasn't just nauseous in the morning, but rather from the time I sat up in bed until about six o'clock every evening. And that's when it began. This longing for the future welled up inside of me. At first, I couldn't wait for the first trimester to be over. I counted down the days until I reached the thirteen-week mark. But it didn't end there. In fact, it grew from there. When I arrived at the second trimester, I was relived. The nausea was subsiding and I was slowing gaining my energy back a little more each day. When I found myself with a little bump, I couldn't wait for a bigger one. When one doctor's appointment was over, I was counting down the days until the next one. I often found myself wishing that my whole pregnancy was over and this little bundle inside of me was here already.
The day that I was admitted to the hospital, everything changed. Suddenly, I found myself wishing that everything would slow down. I wanted to be pregnant for another eighteen long weeks. I wanted to have a huge belly in the middle of a hot Virginia summer. In fact, I found myself wishing that I would be put on bed rest for the next eighteen weeks. I wanted all of this because it meant that my baby would be okay.
When Judah was born at 1:14 pm on April 12th, and his fragile, 15.9 ounce self was laid on my chest, my world was turned upside down. I wanted so badly for time to stand still. I wanted to soak up every single moment with him that I could. I wanted to take it all in. I wanted to hold on and not let go. I didn't want that moment to come when the nurse would look at me with tears in her eyes and nod, letting me know that his heart had stopped. I didn't want that time to come when I would have to give his lifeless body one last kiss and say my final goodbye, but it came.
Looking back, I realize that I was always wishing that I was one step, sometimes four or five steps, ahead of where I actually was. Part of this was pure excitement and joy for the future and what was to come. However, looking back, a part of it was sin. It was discontentment. I didn't like being tired all the time. I really didn't like the morning sickness. And I hated gaining weight in unwanted places. There I was for the past five months, selfishly wishing my pregnancy away and it was gone way too soon. Looking back, I was rarely happy with the here and now.
Kasey and I have spent the past three months without a job or home (more on that later) and leading up to Judah's birth, we were both in a hurry to check those things off of our 'to do' list. When Judah was born, we saw things from a different perspective, God's perspective. He knew what was to come. He knew how much harder it would have been to deal with juggling a full time job in the midst of tragedy. He knew the extra pain it would have caused to go home by ourselves, empty handed, to a room all made up for a baby that we no longer had. He knew that we would need the next few weeks to be with our friends and family.
Over the past six weeks, the Lord has been teaching me to slow down and embrace the 'here and now,' wherever I am. Right now, that means embracing a time when we are both unemployed and mostly living with our parents. It means praising Him for this period of rest that He's blessed us with and stopping to enjoy it because all too soon the craziness of life will kick back in and we'll be on the go again. It means thanking Him for time spent with family because we normally only get to visit a couple of times a year due to distance and work schedules. It's so hard being patient and content when you are waiting on the Lord, but I'm learning all over again that it is so worth it. He knows exactly what we need and exactly when we need it. He doesn't take us through trials or difficult circumstances to frustrate us and make us angry. He does it because that's whats best for us. If you have a personal relationship with Him, He uses each and every trial and circumstance to prepare us for our future; to grow our faith in Him; and to make us more like Himself. He is constantly sanctifying us more and more each and every day.
So, if you are single, don't wish it away. Enjoy your days with your friends and spend more of your alone time with the Lord. If you are married and trying to have children, treasure the one-on-one time that you have with your spouse while you wait. Once you have a child, it will never be just the two of you ever again. If you are pregnant, praise God for the morning sickness, the exhaustion, and weight gain. Enjoy the moments when you feel your baby kicking or you have the priveledge of hearing its tiny heart beat. If you are blessed with children, treasure every moment you have with them. Enjoy each stage of life as you watch them grow. Embrace the good days and the hard ones because you'll never get any of those days of their lives back again. If you have a home and a job, be grateful to God for it and take advantage of the opportunities He has given you to be a light to those around you. Slow down and embrace the here and now. Stop wishing away this stage in your life and start asking the Lord what He's teaching you through it. Train yourself to bring Him praise on the mountain tops and praise in the trenches of this life. Slow down enough to watch His grace work in and through you. Give Him thanks every single day for the here and now that He has blessed you with because He's using it for your good and His glory!
Clinging to this hope today:
James 1:2 - 4
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Soli Deo Gloria,
Katie
5.13.2013
7. my first mother's day
 |
| April 12, 2013 |
Yesterday was one of the hardest days I have experienced since we lost our little boy. Not only was it Mother's Day, but it marked one month since his birthday and the day of his death. It marked one month of not having him in our arms. It marked one month of not feeling his tiny little feet kick around inside of me. It marked one month of not hearing that treasured sound of his strong heart beating. It marked one month of the most joyous day and the most heart-breaking day we have ever experienced.
As I was in church yesterday, worshiping God and praising Him for the precious life He blessed us with, I couldn't help but smile as I thought about our sweet Judah Blaze. For him, yesterday marked one month of being in the presence of his Creator. Oh, how glorious his day must have been!
Yesterday didn't go as I had pictured it would when we found out we were expecting our first baby, but it went exactly as God had planned it. In fact, before I was even conceived, God planned and purposed that I would be born to amazing Christian parents, grow up in small town in Pennsylvania as a pastor's daughter, head off to a large university, meet an incredibly good looking and godly man, fall head-over-heals in love, get married, and have my first little boy at 21 weeks and 5 days, live for 1 hour and 41 minutes, and then leave this world as I held him in my arms. God orchestrated every single detail of this! It's hard to fathom that with the billions of people in this word, God predestined this plan and caused all of it to happen perfectly according to His will for my life, but He did.
As I reflect back over the the past month of our lives and even my pregnancy with Judah, I find such comfort in why God purposed for this to happen to us. It's all for His glory and our good! God is glorified in our good days and in our bad days. He is glorified in our rejoicing and He is glorified in our pain. Our faith and trust in Him has grown with leaps and bounds in the past month. God is constantly using this to conform us to the image of Christ. We have had the opportunity to share our testimony of God's grace and mercy in our lives with so many people that we would never have come in contact with if we had lost our precious son. Through Judah's story, God's grace has been shared with people from California to New Hampshire (and that's just that we are aware of). And to think that it has only been one month.
One month ago yesterday, we were given a gift from the Lord that forever changed us. What an honor to be the recipient of such a gift from our Creator! What an honor to be given a son whose short life and death brings more honor and glory to God than a life of 100 years on this earth ever could have! God chose us to be Judah's parents before the foundations of the world and for that, we are blessed, humbled, and forever grateful!
Clinging to this hope today:
Romans 8:26-30
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined, to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called, he also justified, and those whom he justified, he also glorified."
Soli Deo Gloria,
Katie
2.28.2012
6. vacare deo
vacare deo: to make oneself empty for God.
and this is what i'm practing this week.
meditating on His holy and precious Word. the Truth.
emptying myself of that which does not honor & glorify Him. because isn't that what this life is all about? is that not the reason that He created us?
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive the glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
-Revelation 4:11-
and how can i possibly have a mindset of worshiping Him if i am not emptied of the things that distract me from Him?
and this is what i'm practing this week.
meditating on His holy and precious Word. the Truth.
emptying myself of that which does not honor & glorify Him. because isn't that what this life is all about? is that not the reason that He created us?
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive the glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
-Revelation 4:11-
and how can i possibly have a mindset of worshiping Him if i am not emptied of the things that distract me from Him?
2.04.2012
5 - love
it five o'clock. i call him and let him know that i'm on my way home. he says he can't wait to see me. he says that he loves me. i hang up the phone and i can't help but to give Him thanks. thanks for this job. thanks for this car. thanks for this traffic that keeps me in His perfect timing. and thanks for him.
he greets me in the kitchen with his is dimpled smile that caught my eye from day one. "dinner's almost ready" he tells me as i look around and see the table set for two. the sink that i left full of dishes is empty. the floors have been vacuumed. the bed has been made. the dogs have been walked. and i fall into the comfort of his arms. the same ones that worked hard all day to tidy up the house. and he knows that this is just the way i like it.
amid the long days of work, the late nights filled with job applications, Bible study preparations, and school work, he keeps his promise from that day. his promise to love me. to cherish me. to lead me. to provide for me. and to protect me. he's faithful. he's giving. he's selfless, everyday.
it's early in the morning and the moonlight is peeking through the crack in the blinds. i lay there and just watch him sleep. i take it all in. these gifts that He has given. this quaint apartment that has just enough room for the two of us. the pantry full with food. the piano that brings me to worship Him. that sewing machine from my grandma. the picture on the dresser from that extraordinary day. those two sweet puppies all tucked away in their bed. this man that works hard and loves hard. this life that i don't deserve. i lay there and praise Him. i praise the One who made it all. and gave it all.
and this is love. selfless. sacrificial. constant. everyday he lives out this love in our covenant relationship. he looks to the One who brought us together. for guidance. for strength. for wisdom. for everything. because that's the only way. because He's the only way.
this love is not perfect. because he's not perfect and i'm not perfect. the only perfect love comes from above. this love is unconditional. the ultimate sacrifice of One's life for another. this love is bigger than our love. this love is bigger than us. and I praise Him. for His perfect work on the cross that saved us. for the ultimate sacrifice of His death so that we might have life. for His unconditional love. for His perfect plan.
i praise Him for this simple everyday picture of His love that He has given me through him.
he greets me in the kitchen with his is dimpled smile that caught my eye from day one. "dinner's almost ready" he tells me as i look around and see the table set for two. the sink that i left full of dishes is empty. the floors have been vacuumed. the bed has been made. the dogs have been walked. and i fall into the comfort of his arms. the same ones that worked hard all day to tidy up the house. and he knows that this is just the way i like it.
amid the long days of work, the late nights filled with job applications, Bible study preparations, and school work, he keeps his promise from that day. his promise to love me. to cherish me. to lead me. to provide for me. and to protect me. he's faithful. he's giving. he's selfless, everyday.
it's early in the morning and the moonlight is peeking through the crack in the blinds. i lay there and just watch him sleep. i take it all in. these gifts that He has given. this quaint apartment that has just enough room for the two of us. the pantry full with food. the piano that brings me to worship Him. that sewing machine from my grandma. the picture on the dresser from that extraordinary day. those two sweet puppies all tucked away in their bed. this man that works hard and loves hard. this life that i don't deserve. i lay there and praise Him. i praise the One who made it all. and gave it all.
and this is love. selfless. sacrificial. constant. everyday he lives out this love in our covenant relationship. he looks to the One who brought us together. for guidance. for strength. for wisdom. for everything. because that's the only way. because He's the only way.
this love is not perfect. because he's not perfect and i'm not perfect. the only perfect love comes from above. this love is unconditional. the ultimate sacrifice of One's life for another. this love is bigger than our love. this love is bigger than us. and I praise Him. for His perfect work on the cross that saved us. for the ultimate sacrifice of His death so that we might have life. for His unconditional love. for His perfect plan.
i praise Him for this simple everyday picture of His love that He has given me through him.
1.28.2012
4 - update
i'm back and super excited about my blog! i gave it a new look, a new picture, and since i got a new (last)name, i thought i would give it one too. (: God has been doing so many exciting things in my life that i can't help but share them!
in may, i married my best friend. the past 8 months have been full of love, happiness, stress, bills, laundry, meal planning, lots of cleaning, cooking, budgeting, crafting, homemaking, hectic schedules, and more joy than i could have ever planned for. being married to a man that seeks the Lord daily while striving to provide for me, protect me, and lead me, is truly an honor. i so treasure our morning devotions and times of prayer together and i think one of the most important things that i have learned through it all is this:
marriage is a beautiful and sanctifying covenant relationship between a man and a women that can only be enjoyed to the fullest when the One who created it is at the center.
so since may, i have had the joy of being a wife and homemaker and i love every day of it. i love cooking and cleaning and organizing. and i love having a sweet little apartment to decorate and call "our home."
Mr. has been super busy as well. he is currently in his last year of undergrad at liberty. he's doing everything online so that he is able to take classes, work full time for j.crew and serve at our church. (he really is amazing!) if all goes as planned, he will finish up this summer and start seminary in the fall. we're still praying about which seminary that will be, but he's hoping to do everything online for that as well so that we are able to stay in virginia.
we really do love it here! God has blessed us with the most amazing christian friends and a wonderful church. we both have full-time jobs, food on the table, and a roof over our heads. we have so much to be thankful for and everyday i am reminded that,
God is faithful to meet our every need. He is loving, just, forgiving, full of grace and mercy. He is sovereign over all things and He constantly sustains us.
what a great & mighty God we serve!
in may, i married my best friend. the past 8 months have been full of love, happiness, stress, bills, laundry, meal planning, lots of cleaning, cooking, budgeting, crafting, homemaking, hectic schedules, and more joy than i could have ever planned for. being married to a man that seeks the Lord daily while striving to provide for me, protect me, and lead me, is truly an honor. i so treasure our morning devotions and times of prayer together and i think one of the most important things that i have learned through it all is this:
marriage is a beautiful and sanctifying covenant relationship between a man and a women that can only be enjoyed to the fullest when the One who created it is at the center.
we really do love it here! God has blessed us with the most amazing christian friends and a wonderful church. we both have full-time jobs, food on the table, and a roof over our heads. we have so much to be thankful for and everyday i am reminded that,
God is faithful to meet our every need. He is loving, just, forgiving, full of grace and mercy. He is sovereign over all things and He constantly sustains us.
what a great & mighty God we serve!
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