Life on The Edge of the Bed

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Mini Vacation .... gone bad.

It all started with a great idea: Let's get away for a few days--
away from laundry, phone calls and work.
We really wanted some time to just seek the Lord!

We planned to go and visit our friend Molly in South Carolina from Saturday to Tuesday.
A little lakehouse in the woods, in a tiny town. Sounds great!.
Eric would have wednesday off for the fourth as well and could recouperate.
Unfortunately the dates couldn't work...

That plan fell through. Strike 1.

We then made plans to go stay in the mountains at a church conference and retreat center.
The mountains were calling our name.
Saturday comes.
We find out that power is out from the storms and could take a week
to be restored at the retreat center.

Great. That plan fell through. Strike 2.

So we decide to go to Lynchburg...we can see the mountains, go fishing, visit the dollar theater.
It'll be great.
We reserve our cheap hotel room and start the drive with the two littles.
We get to to hotel...the kids are dying to get out. We all have to pee. And then we see it.
A sign on the door that says NO POWER.
*Deep breath*

We pile back into the car and rethink this whole thing.
Should we go home? Look for another hotel?
We end up at Arbys with an orange creme milkshake searching for another hotel.

We find one. In Roanoke--another hour away.
We make the reservation and start going to roanoke.
Nice Howard Johnson with an awesome view of the mountains. Breakfast. Good deal.

To make a long, frustrating story short, we spent the WHOLE next day searching for a place to fish and trying to find worms.
One place had no power.
One river was full of people swimming.
And the "stocked"duck "pond"--- that was a joke.

Our A/C in our car wasn't working through all of this and
we found out our insurance won't cover our windshield that got cracked in the storm.
We came home tuesday and were glad to be back.

I feel like I need a vacation to get myself back togther. lol.
At least we got to be together.

Karis still loved it--despite all the setbacks:)
In it all, Jesus is always faithful!!
Looking forward to hearing His voice.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Giving Up On Good: My Time With Jesus

Linking up with Jessi at naptime diaries for her series Giving up on good:) She's my new-best-friend-who-doesn't-really-know-me-at-all-but-seems-like-we-could-be-great-friends. lol. Check out her blog and her etsy shop...its awesome and inspiring and just....just a true reflection of Jesus! Here's my Giving Up On Good contribution!

I really do love Jesus.
I really love sitting down with the Word and my journal and talking to Him.
I really love having my little blocked out hour(s) with Jesus.
With one child it was completely doable everyday. But I have 2 kids:)

And the truth is, I RARELY get that blocked out time anymore.

With 2 kiddos-- one who is still nursing -- that BLOCK just dosn't fit in anymore.
Hosanna--my 14 month old little beauty- takes ONE nap a day, for one hour.
In that hour, there are so MANY things to be done -- housework, etsyshop upkeep, emails, phonecalls, laundry folding, toy pickup, reading with Karis...etc.

The block doesn't work.
So I say, I'll just get up early. Everything will be quiet.
It can be just me and Jesus.
Nobody will need their bottom wiped. Noone will need lunch. Noone will be asking any questions.
Well-- it's was great idea, in theory.
And it WOULD work EXCEPT that Hosanna still sleeps with us and nurses to go to sleep and nurses several times through the night.
This littl snugglebug does not like when I get up...or she wakes up! Glorious.
Scratch that idea- at least for now.

So I have given up on my "block" with Jesus,
but what I have found in its place are some sweet moments with Jesus.

When I am washing dishes, I talk to Him.
When I'm folding laundry, I pray over the kids and my husband.
When I am cleaning the toilets I ask Jesus to come and clean me up again.
When I am changing diapers I pray over hosannas feet, that she woul walk in paths of righteousness and that she would walk with the Lord all the days of her life.
When I am making beds, I pray that He would send revival.

My relationship with Jesus is more than a block of time anyway.
Its about how I respond to Him each moment.
How Iopen my heart to Him in the mudane, everyday, normal life.

And to be honest, my best Bible reading usually happens when I'm in the bathroom...lol
I know you can relate as a mom!

It is a freeing thing to not be trapped by the idea that my time with Jesus has to look a certain way.
He just wants my whole heart. All the time.
All I want is more of Him.
All I want is to hear whats on His heart.
All I want is to be a mom that my kids can say, I know she loved Jesus because she talked to Him all the time.

Do I fail? Yes.
Do I get too wrapped up in life some days?? Oh yes.
But His grace is sufficient for me to walk out being a mommy and a lover of Jesus andan incredible wife!!

One prayer at a time. One moment at a time.
The season of the block has ended...Thank you Jesus!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

To the mommies....

Hello my lovely friends....

I really am trying to keep up with this thing!

Between the kiddos, house, rental house and etsy shop, I seem to be busy. Imagine that.

This week both of the girls have had the flu. Yuck.
Have I ever mentioned that HATE the flu.
Eww. It's just gross.
Enough said.

For those who don't know- we are collecting cloth diapers to send to haiti for babies with NO DIAPERS. I can't imagine the messy messy mess. But Jesus is faithful to provide! If you want to give money toward this, heres the link. We'll also take diapers, covers, inserts, snappi's... etc! Basically whatever Jesus puts on your heart to give. Heres the event page link on facebook with all the info!

This weekend is mothers day. Thankfully growing up I had a mom (and dad) who loved Jesus and raised my brother and I to love Him with all of our lives. She gave up nice clothes and nice cars to stay home and raise us. If you stay at home with your children, you know what a sacrifice it is, but what a return you receive on your investment. And yet, at our best, on our greatest days as moms we fall so short of the glorious standard.

I think parenting was and is Gods way of teaching us
selflessness, patience and utter dependance on Him.
I'll never have enough on my own.
I'll never give enough out of myself.
I'll never be able to fulfill the standard of Proverbs 31.

But with Him all things are possible.
Through Him my weak and feeble attempts leave a mark on my childrens life.

I am learning day by day that the greatest ministry impact I could ever have is right here in my home.
If children truely are a reward from the Lord, what an honor to have been given the two that I have here on earth, and the one thats with Jesus.

Maybe you are raising the next Leonard Ravenhill. Mike Bickle.
Tim Tebow. Misty Edwards. Karen Wheaton. David Brainerd. Billy Graham.
Maybe you're raising a son that will change a nation.
A daughter that will prophesy and bring healing to her school.
Maybe your raising a Joseph who will impact where He works with the favor of the Lord.
Maybe your raising a daughter who will adopt children who are abandoned.

They aren't inconveient. I'm just selfish.
They aren't expensive. He provides everything we need.
They aren't too little to understand. They see and hear everything around them and take it in.
They don't take my time away from Jesus. They teach me to walk with Him each moment.

I have much to learn from them and from Jesus about them.
Thankful to be a mom and to be surrounded by women who embrace their role as one that is great.

It's not small. You're not insignifcant. You're not invisible.
What you are doing will stand through eternity.
Heaven is cheering you on as you wipe faces,change diapers,
spank bottoms and repeat Jesus loves me.

You are making an impact.
Believe it and give your life to teach your kids chase Jesus.
It's worth it.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Covering Bottoms

I have a friend who lives in Haiti.

She helps take care of orphans. She cares for the sick.

She shares Jesus with people who have no hope.

Who have little food.

Who have few clothes.

My sister in law recently went to visit her in Haiti.

Since you can not mail things there, she packed a suitcase FULL of things that Krista needs there.

I wanted to send diapers because they are

few and are between there in Haiti.

They use strips of cloth to cover the babies .

I didn't send the diapers but since then each time I pray for my sweet friend, I think, she needs diapers.

Holy Spirit truly knows all things.

How often does He speak that I completely miss it.

Ignore it.

Dismiss it as just me.

Yesterday I posted a new print in the shop.

I got a post from Krista in Haiti asking for one when she comes into the states in June.

I asked her if there was anything we could collect for her that she needs there--since you can't mail anything.

Diapers.

And so, I am collecting cloth diapers. Any kind. All sizes.

If you have some you want to donate,

that would be INCREDIBLE.

If you want to donate money to purchase the plastic covers or diapers you can give through my etsy shop thats linked to paypal. There are buttons to give $10, $20 and $50.

All the money will go to diapers to cover baby bottoms in Haiti.

It will help so much to keep things sanitary and they will be REUSABLE!

If you want to help, heres the link to the facebook event page and it has all the details.

Thank you so much for your help ahead of time.

Let's show how Jesus loves the babies in Haiti.

HE EVEN PROVIDES DIAPERS!!

Friday, April 27, 2012

I Want Jesus in My Heart

Last night we made a trip out to Lowes to look at some flooring for our rental house.
Four hundred and some odd dollars and an hour later we are heading to the parking lot.

Its 9:30pm.
Hosanna is past tired and really dirty from crawling around on the floor in Lowes.
I know-- that's gross.
I NEVER let her crawl around ANY store but it was late and we were taking a long time to pick flooring...
so she got a treat. Ha. Wish I would've taken a picture.
Seriously-- Lowes needs to mop.

We get out to the car and Eric is strapping in Hosanna, who is crying, and I am putting karis in and her seatbelt on when she says a few little words I will never forget.

"Mommy, does Jesus live in my heart?"

She's 4. She's fascinated over Jesus and that He died on the cross and came back to life.

She memorized her first Bible verse last week.

If you ask her to tell you about Jesus-- you'll get the full bloody story-- nails, whips, blood and all. You'll also get a childs perspective of how great it was that He came out of the tomb!

I answered her and said, "Jesus can live in your heart if you ask Him."

She said that she did want to ask Him.

And so in the parking lot of Lowes, in the car with a screaming baby, Karis asked Jesus to come into her heart and to wash away all her sins.

It wasn't at an "altar".
It wasn't at a church service.
There was no music, since our radio is broken.
There had been no sermon given.

Just the sweet prompting of HolySpirit whispering to her heart.
And her responding YES to that still small voice.
Her choice is an answer to our prayers over her life.
She chose Him at 4.

Lord Jesus would you raise up a generation that would choose you at 4.
Would you set their hearts on you God.

I stand amazed again at the goodness of the Father.
In awe at how He draws us to Him and just desires our heart.

Because at the end of the day. When it's all been said. When it's all been done .
And when the race is won. Our lives willl come down to love.

Karis, mommy and daddy are so so proud that you have given your life to Jesus.
May He make you more like Him everyday.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Love of My Life --(Besides JESUS of course!)

God is so amazing...you know, how He already has things figured out way before we even think to ask for them, or know we're going to need them?!?

Wanted to rewind and introduce my other half. Truely, most days I feel we share the same brain. Although he is completely happy going to sleep in an unmade-knot of covers-messy bed and I am not, most other things we agree wholeheartedly upon. Granted, our personalities are on 2 ends of the spectrum : He is cool as a cucumber and let's little bother him...I am a little more on edge about life in general...lol.

This March Eric and I were marred 7 years. Its hard to believe how quickly the time has passed! The years of serving the Lord together have brought us closer together and closer to Jesus.

Who would have ever thought that us meeting at a summer camp would change our lives forever?

I was dating someone else at the time Eric and I met.

I was 17 and it was my first boyfriend. I was attending college at Liberty University and would come home every weekend to travel and lead worship with our band. You know when you hear Holy Spirit ask you to do something. Its quiet but heavy. Its a whisper but echoes within you. He asked me to break up with my boyfriend. At 17, when you've only had one boyfriend, that request is kind-of a BIG deal, ya know.

I resisted at first but after a dream and a confirming word from someon who idn't even know me I heeded the voice of the Lord. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. In the moment, my boyfriend was crushed and didn't understand. I couldn't say that I completely understood either. I just knew what He said and I needed to obey.

Little did I know, just weeks later I would be dating Eric and in 4 months be engaged. It was one of those marking moments in my life where I was at a fork in the road and my decision would alter who I ended up marrying and ultimately where I am today.

Simutaneously, as I had heard the voice of the Lord ask me to break up, Erics girlfriend had heard the some thing. It's funny how God works, isn't it? Always giving us choice. Giving us freedom to hear Him and obey or not.

And so began the story of us. Of course, there are way more details but I don't want to bore you with details...lol.

After 7 years I love Eric more than I ever thought possible. His heart for Jesus and great capacity to love people is what captured my heart. The same things keep my heart drwn close to him. His pursuit of the Father challenges me to pursue Him. His patience with people challenges me to be patient. His dilligence in his work--whether scrubbing toilets or managing men-- teaches me to be dilligent. He is completely given to Jesus and in that has completely given himslef to raising our family in the fear and admonition of the Lord. He makes mistakes, of course, but he has a heart after the Father.

I am so thankful that God has given me to him and him to me. Some nights when I am so confused or so hurt or so sad...He always gets it. Like I said...maybe we share a brain:)

I love you Mr Mcbride. Whatever may come, may we hold hands through it and keep looking to Jesus, where our help comes from. For real, we have lived for richer for poorer, with air condition and without, with HEAT and without, with friends and without, with a car and with out, scrubbing toilets or being a manager, fussing babies or smiling ones, moment of crushing and moments of strength, and the list will continue.... He is enough for us. He gives and takes away but His love never fails! Thank you or being a true reflection of His love to your family and the world. May our lives remain true to this quote by David Brainerd

"I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls."