Media and parenting

I love what Courtney from Women Living Well has to say about media and parenting.

But, the biggest thing I used to struggle with was just the distraction of media. It was a huge distraction for me when we used to have cable and internet. I spent more hours then I care to mention aimlessly perusing blogs and checking facebook.

But then we moved. We can't have cable at our house and we haven't gotten any internet yet and I'm kinda loving it. When I watch all my Amish neighbors I want what they have. Life is laid back and they actually work hard to reap great benefits. They take time to make amazing home cooked meals and baked items. They have huge garden so they grow their own healthy produce and even have some left to sell.

I know media is so helpful. I have learned tons and found many great recipes but it can serve as such a major distraction. Instead of taking time to back something yummy for our family we blog. Instead of making a meal for someone who had a baby we are busy on facebook. Instead of taking a nap when we desperately need some rest we are busy keeping up with our friends through e-mail. It's like we don't know when enough is enough.  It's great to have internet on our phones. We can get directions, find the local gas station ,and check the weather. You name it we can do it! But what I find interesting is we as parents have time limits for children but none for ourselves. We check our facebook 10 times a day, our e-mail 6 or 7 times a day, and our blog another several times a day. It's almost like since we are adults we think we don't need limits. That we don't have to make a conscience effort to stop our media and maybe even God forbid take days off just to focus on our family. Let's not take this good thing we have and turn it into an obsession and distraction from our lives and family!

Take a serious look at your media use and ask yourself is this really taking away time from some of my priorities?

... I must become less

It's hard to be patient...


It's hard to wait.....


It's even harder to wait patiently upon the Lord.



But last week when I was longing for his answer and longing for more....


more love....


more passion...


more devotion....


more of Him...

He spoke to me quietly and said:

(I) He must become greater and I must become less
John 3:30



It's time to focus on what he has given me now. It's time to really work on dying to myself. It's time to become less. For in order for him to become greater I must become so much less.

I need to become less in my hobbies...


I need to become less in my attitudes...


I need to become less in my selfishness...

I just really need to become less because I so need him to become Greater!!!

what if we crossed the reasons off

This so does not just apply to adoptions it applies to being used in any area of what God calls us to. Any area that God asks us to give up our American "dreams" for his dreams!

I am not going to lie I am afraid of what God is showing me. Going out of our comfort zone sounds sooo cool and watching people do it makes me heart beat with enthusiasm for them.  But doing it myself makes me feel all kinds of nervousness and selfishness.

Dream, Dream, Dream

God's plans seldom make sense. They often appear crazy, to us and especially to others.


We hear his voice calling out to us, to step out in faith. It's scary and we often ask "Is that really what your asking God?".  Have we heard him wrong? Was that really him?

Most of us get caught up in dreams. I think dreams and aspirations are great. But I am only human and can only see my plans not God's. I don't always know what is best. I just know what I want. So why is it that we are so willing to put everything on the line for our dreams? Follow your dreams everyone says! If you want it bad enough you can get it. Have you ever stopped to ask what God wants. Is my dream the same as God's plan?

You can find tons of books on following your dreams. Don't you know you will achieve true happiness if you follow your dream? Maybe I am wrong but I think we push to hard on the dreams part and not hard enough on God's plans. We are imperfect and for many of us our dreams change like the winds. We get a taste of success, fame, money and we know for sure that is what God wants for us. Why wouldn't he want us to be happy? Why wouldn't he want us to have money and fame?I think that when we only listen to our wants I believe we miss his plans. Or we choose not to listen because his plans often sound crazy and are hard. We want to be able to see the end of the story before we proceed with it.

I believe if we ask God he will see the desires of our hearts. He wants us to be happy and live a life full of peace, love, and Joy. It's just that he can see the whole picture and we can't. That means he always knows what best for us even if its not our dream!

Learned Truth or God's truth?

I never really knew what Grace was... They didn't preach it at the church I attended as a child.


I knew salvation was a gift. But then I thought you had to continue to earn it. I thought through somethings I saw lived out that really grace was just a word in a song. I thought that works were what saved you. Choices and never sinning where what saved you. I even remember thinking if I die now that I didn't know where I would go because I had so many things to ask forgiveness for.

I lived under this awful need to be perfect, live perfect, and never sin.

Then one day God blessed me with this amazing friend.  A friend that streched me. A friend that caused me to reavualate everything I thought I knew.


Salvation is totally a free gift. No exceptions!

Grace is extended to all who ask the Lord to come and be their savior. Nothing we do will ever be good enough to deserve God's love or forgiveness. WOW!

I still fight the battle often with believing that obeying rules and your actions are what make you good enough.  But I am growing everyday and God is constantly showing himself to me. So for now I am trying to relearn God's Grace. It's out of my comfort zone that someone would love me without me being good enough.

But what I have most grown to understand is that there is a difference between God's truth and a truth that you have been taught or come to believe. Sometimes on purpose or not we are taught things wrong or precieve things wrong. We are all human after all. So lets not take anyone elses word for it not even our own. Lets be on our hands and knees constantly asking God to reveal to us HIS TRUTH!

Is there something in your life you are holding onto that God is trying to tell you is a learned truth not a God's truth. Let's all ask God to show in what ways we are not listening to his truth or have been swayed wrong. Because all of us have so much growing to do. I know I sure Do!

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Ephesians 4:7

Don't be afraid to ask!

God is a God of wisdom! He is wisdom and he gives wisdom.

He is not a God of confusion. If you truly seek him and his wisdom he will help guide,direct, and show you what he wants for you.

I have found this sooo true for me in my life recently. With the sale of our house and a new job I have been blessed with. (it's a work from home job for one of my closest friends)

Lets all seek God's will because though it may sometimes seem crazy and a little over the top he knows best and always rewards obedience. Just remember it is all in his timing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7

Happenings round here

First of all my computer has finally bit the dust. (God sure knows how to tell me I don't have time right now to focus on blogging.)

We are busy busy busy. We are in full swing with moving things to the farm. But, God has been so wonderful I actally don't feel overwhelmed I just feel excited to start this new chapter! God has been proving time and time again that if you are faithful he will provide for your needs!

 I know I need to get some pictures up of the farm and everything and of course of the little munkins because they are so big already. Especially Prince Jules who rolled over for the first time last night. He is so different In personality from Princess Eli. It's amazing to see their differences as he gets older.

Here's a little more to sum up this new phase in my life....
1. Why did I ever used to complain when I had to mow for 45 mins? Now it takes me atleast an hour and a half to two hours.
2. Speaking of mowing I am deathly afraid of being shocked by the electric fence while mowing. I am pretty sure this is what makes the process take longer.
3. Living on a farm is inspiring me to do all kinds of  "down on the farm" stuff. Like planting some veggies and other things. (Ash I'm still not getting a chicken coop, atleast not yet.)
4. I have accumulated lots and lots of things in my first few years of marriage. I need to clean out my closets!
5. We even have cows on the farm now. They are not ours but Princess Eli sure does enjoy to watch them.

I hope to get some pictures up soon and I will keep you updated as I adapt to my new life down on the farm.