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Whole Hearted Faith

Today I have to share a book with you that I picked up. I told you my main area of concern was focus. God has given so much grace here. I have been able to stay focused on Him so much more lately. Maybe it is the accountability with you all. Maybe it is the true desire He is rewarding. Either way focus is good which makes fellowship with Him so much more sweet.

But girls it can be work to stay focused!!! YIKES. This world screams for our attention in so many ways. But I have noticed with me taking these steps it has also shifted our family focus as well. This is a great thing! Momma does set the tone for the home. So I need to continue to be this example for my family.

So, the book I picked up is Desiring God by John Piper. I cannot believe I have never read this treasure before but it is so good so far. It is all about God being our focus. God has to be our primary goal in everything. He is enough and He is not too much. He is all we need. Good stuff.
Lifting a prayer for those of you on this journey!

Another precious woman of God

I have to share another blog I would like for you to check out... It is a sweet friend woman who is a speaker with the Proverbs 31 women's ministry. Her name is Wendy Blight. She is also starting an online Bible study on her blog soon. Go and show her some bloggy love!

Dee Brestin's New Blog

Hey y'all! Dee Brestin is now blogging! God has used her ministry in my life in a HUGE way. I blogged about it here. Please go over and show her a warm welcome to the blog world and spread the word. You will be so blessed by her. Her blog can be found here.

Focus - Whole-Hearted Faith

Focus. Focus. Focus. That is the single most important thing right now that God is doing with me to teach me about following Him with my whole heart. Last week I wrote about how many things scream for our attention. God doesn't scream like that. He is the still small voice yet He is nothing small. He is the God of all creation who chooses to speak to us and walk with us personally.

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:4-5

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

This week God has been teaching me to abide in Him and keep my focus more on His voice. He is teaching me how to silence the screams and loudness of the world around me. This is definitely a discipline but well worth the effort.

Day One - Holly Wood Studios Photo Journey

This is our first day at Disney Hollywood Studios. This is the parade that we saw when we first entered. It was Highschool Musical 3! It was cute! The girls loved it as you can see in the pick below. This was my first wake up call to my intense desire to be in front....God had to work that out and He did very quickly. :)
Girls enjoying the show...
This was really fun. It was the American Idol experience. You can actually audition to be a part and if you win from all of the contestants for the day you get a ticket to go to the front of the line at any AI audition in the country. Pretty cool. It is a real life stage. You see all the behind the scenes stuff and how things are made. Hannah and I got on the screen a few times. I think the camera man liked us! LOL! :)


Here is the cool New York city street set. I loved the subway so the girls went down to take a picture.
This is the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. The girls slid down this when they were tiny so this pic just shows how much they have grown. It is fun to have. Neat playground. It was a really hot (98) day so we were most interested in the parts that shot water at us!
The girls met Mike from Monsters Inc! LOL!
Not a good pic but my favorite! This is the stone tablet from Narnia! LOVE it. Plus we met with Prince Caspian. It was a really fun time with him and very personal. I tried to put the video up of it but it did not post.
Hannah getting Handy Manny's number! No just his autograph! She was so excited because she said, "I WATCH HIS SHOW!" LOL! Cracked me up!
Now this pic took an hour to get! Talk about serious waiting but it was worth it. These Bolt and Rhino guys were so fun and took time with all the guests. They were too fun. Look at Kaitlyn's sweet expression with Bolt. :)
Mr. and Mrs. Incredible! Enough Said!
Weary after long waits!!!!!!! This was waiting for the best ride of the entire time. The Buzz Light year 4-D adventure was a blast!!! Long wait because it is new but lots of fun stuff to look at along the way. The day was long so we were tiring out. FOUND a Hidden Mickey not in the book along the way though!!! Fun! K and Dad beat Mine and H's score! :)
A little bit of a last bit of energy emerging! The kids really wanted to go to the hotel and swim. That was their favorite thing to do.

Disney - The Happiest Place on Earth? Really?

This is really too funny to me to hear. Is Disney really the happiest place on earth? Don't get me wrong it is a really fun place. I really like all the rides and attractions BUT when there are a billion people in a park all trying to do the same thing things bet uncomfortable.

When you first start planning and thinking you are so focused on what you want to do. What you want your children to see. What would make your life so happy. Then you find out everyone else wants to do that same thing. In that environment you get a me fist mentality. And that is UGLY!!!!

I noticed this rising up in me on the very first day. After all I paid good money for this trip. I waited for this spot. I am entitled. I am special.....Where in the world did that all come from? Seriously those thoughts and attitudes go against what Jesus taught us. I had to re-adjust.

As I re-adjusted I observed outward. At the happiest place on earth there was much discord. Much yelling at children. Much children crying. Much grumbling and complaining. Not so much happiness.....Until I can truly say there was with us when our attitudes readjusted to putting others first. That was what made all the difference and changed our perspective. We started seeing things through God's eyes.
We actually had a fun time and experience because we were together as family experiencing an adventure together. That is what makes it the happiest place on earth.

Whole Hearted Faith

Okay now here it goes with the whole hearts for God challenge going on at Leigh's blog. I posted a little last week but this is a thing we are going to do on a weekly basis to encourage one another one in this pursuit. What is it that is keeping you from Whole Heart Devotion?

Seriously this is a daily thing for me. I get so distracted on what seems to be a daily basis. Things like media including the Internet or face book seem to steal my time away but I voluntarily give it to these things. So for me at this moment I believe God is wanting me to learn to focus all my thoughts, all my time, everything on Him. Doing that is making those things that are most important to Him first.

So for me this will be a finding balance in my walk type of journey. I will be getting to KNOW Him more (not for writing or speaking but for ME) and as I focus on that I will continue to walk it out. I love a little book called, "Practicing the Presence" by Brother Lawrence. He got this and lived it. That is what I want. Even with all things crying for my attention it is possible.

So pop over to Leigh's blog if you are interested in joining the journey.

Rad Revolution

I am over here today. Check it out!

Life in the Kingdom - part 2

In the kingdom in another foreign land there was another prince. His duty to the patriarchs was something he obeyed but never before the service to the King. He continually followed the King. At times though this made the patriarchs uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact that the prince was banished from the kingdom. Though he was loved he was told it was probably better for him to serve outside this kingdom. They knew people liked him but he made them a little too uncomfortable. This had to be dealt with after all the patriarchs could not have their kingdom dwindling to a small size. They wanted their people comfortable. They wanted to please the people over pleasing the King. So the young prince left on his way to seek out another place where people deeply desired to please the King over anything else.

The Father watches, the Father hurts, The Father waits. The Father knows that persecution will come to His true followers. Yet He commanded us to love and encourage one another daily. In the kingdom it does not always happen while it should. Unity is the thing He desires yet He waits while time continues to draw short. I wonder what we will be doing when He returns for us? What will life in the kingdom look like?

Marriage Monday - Seasons of Marriage

I just love the mystery of marriage. The fact that God gave me this strange creature to be my husband is amazing. When I say strange I do not mean this in a derogatory way at all. By strange here I mean completely different and opposite from me. I love this though. Though I want to rip my hair out at times, the discovery is fun. Discovering different dimensions of this man. Learning new pieces of his heart even the parts I am sure I will never understand. It is a fun discovery process.

Marriage also is filled with different seasons. We go through madly in love with one another to dry times. That is really interesting to me because that can happen with our relationship with God as well. It is the strange mystery of how God compares His relationship with His bride to the marriage of a man and wife (Ephesians 5).

Seasons bring challenges and ups and downs. Remember whatever season you are in with your husband it all will be well. The Bible speaks about there being a time for everything. This is true in marriage as well. Ecclesiastes 3 states it this way:
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

I think though these times are referring to life in general that they can also apply to our marriages and seasons of marriage. All good marriages go through their seasons. All good marriages go through times of good heat and bad heat. The key in all seasons is to remain faithful as you keep your eyes on Jesus.

Go to Christine's blog to see what others are saying.