The Weight has been Lifted!

Pastor's message on Sunday took a weight of my shoulders that I'm not even sure I knew was there. He spoke on witnessing, and on what is expected of us as Christians to witness. You know what??? We don't have to save people. We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to debate theology. We don't have to tell them our church doctrine. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS!

WHAT A RELIEF!

I didn't realize how much I am afraid to talk to people about Christ. I didn't realize the fear I had in someone asking a question I can't answer. I didn't realize the fear I had in not knowing all the answers. I don't have to.

Romans Road
The ABCs

These are important. If someone wants to debate theology, I'm most definately not the one to do it! But I can tell them about Christ and what he did for all of us. It's really simple. It's amazingly simple.

I hope that I will become stronger about talking to people in my life who are unsaved, knowing I don't have to save them. It's not our job to save people. It IS our job to tell them about Christ. God will work on their heart from there.

AMEN to that!

She Is Her Mommy's Baby...

This is Maleah, taken within the last month:




This is me, taken years ago:



It completely amazes me just how much she looks like me! I am so proud (and feel so bad for her for what's to come)! :)

She is her mommy's baby! :)

Love Song

I've heard this song so many times I couldn't even begin to count, but today I heard it, and I just had to sit still and listen intently. It's such a beautiful song. We will NEVER understand the price Christ paid for us, but He loves us so much He WOULD do it again...and again...and again...I wish people could see how much He loves them...even those that think they're unloveable...even those that don't believe...It's SOOOO easy!

For jut a few seconds, read these words...truly thinking about what they mean.

Third Day "Love Song"

I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done.
I've never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of calvary

Chorus:
Just to be with you, I'd do anything
There's no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I'd give anything
I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
How may times has he broken that promise
It can never be done
I've never swam the deepest ocean
But I walked upon the raging sea

Chorus:
Just to be with you, I'd do anything
There's no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I'd give anything
I would give my life away.

(Bridge)
I know that you don't understand
the fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know that you don't realize
how much that I gave you
But I promise, I would do it all again.

Just to be with you, I've done everything
There's no price I did not pay
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away.

One for the Baby Books!

So, when I was pregnant with Maleah (we found out May 24). That summer, my Cavalier started dying on me...We took it to the auto shop. It was the alternator. Nearly $300 to fix it. THEN in the fall of that same year, while still pregnant with Maleah, Bob's Altima started dying...We took it to the auto shop. It was the alternator. Another $300 to fix it.

Two alternators. One pregnancy.

Enter August 1st (the day we find out we're pregnant with our baby). A few short weeks later Bob's Altima starts dying on us...We tow it to the auto shop. It was the alternator. AGAIN. Another $300. Saturday, Sept. 13th, we're all driving down Bridge Street, my Escape starts dying on us...We tow it to the auto shop. It was the alternator. Another $400!!!

Two alternators. One pregnancy.

I can't even be upset for the huge loss we have to take this month in paying for the cars...the situation itself is hilarious!

Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor???

Nothing Shocks Me Anymore....

People never cease to amaze me with what they will say! That saying that God gave you two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you speak rings true here:

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen riled Republicans Wednesday after he compared Barack Obama to Jesus Christ and suggested Sarah Palin is akin to Pontius Pilate. The Tennessee congressman and Obama supporter was on the House floor giving a one-minute speech when he offered the simile. “If you want change, you want the Democratic Party,” Cohen said. “Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus, who our minister prayed about. Pontius Pilate was a governor.”

There Will Be a Day

I heard this song on air1 this week and I LOVE IT! Absolutely LOVE IT. I wanted to share (sorry about the way the lyrics are on the page, I copied and pasted. :)

There Will Be A Day - Jeremy Camp:

Try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that trys to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

(Chorus)
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,
we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

(Chorus)

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace He brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing

Appointment

We had our first appointment yesterday, complete with a 4D ultrasound. :) Our baby, who will more than likely be called a she until we know for sure, was so beautiful! The heart rate was 175 (I think). I know it was in the 170s. I was so excited to see that baby IN there! I told Bob...doesn't matter that I took 10 pregnancy tests, until I see that baby I can hardly BELIEVE it! "She" was there. And just the one! Not multiple, as some may have hoped!

There are a couple of things we would like to ask you to pray for. One is a small cyst on one of my ovaries. The doctor isn't concerned, but still...and the second is that I have the same bleeding on my uterus just like what happened with Maleah. A fairly common event, but still something to be watched. No heavy lifting, and we have to have another ultrasound at our next appt., which is 4 weeks from today. I praise God for this though. With Emily, laying on that table at 17 weeks, waiting for him to find the heartbeat and not being able to, was the most heartbreaking thing in my life. With Maleah, we never had to do that. The ultrasound always came first. God was gracious in that. By the time we had to lay on the table, she was moving around to where I could feel her and know she was ok. Such a blessing that again, I don't have to lay on that table and wait to see if there's a heartbeat. I'm so thankful for that. Just pray that in the next month or two that spot will be gone, just as with Maleah, and that our baby will be healthy and strong.

I have experienced some awful nausea over the last few weeks. The doc prescribed me meds for that...and boy am I appreciative! I've been trying to follow the pregnancy diet, to eat more variety of small things that are healthy...and less milk shakes and french fries :) Pray for me in that as well! I don't want to gain 60 lbs. this time around! (Even if most of it WAS water weight!)

I'll keep updated!

The Weather

The weather this morning has been cool and cloudy with early morning thunderstorms. It has been a beautiful morning. I so treasure mornings like this. Soon, the clouds will give way to a sunny afternoon. It's a good thing, I know, but there's just something about the beautiful dark gray clouds that makes me happy. Weird, sure. But that's me, I guess :)

Enjoyable....

Here are a few lines I stumbled across today. I just wanted to share...:

"Don't just hope for change. VOTE FOR IT!" McCain-Palin

"McCain-Palin '08 - Keep the change."

"I'd rather have Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency, than have Barack Obama BE the heartbeat of the presidency."

They're on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Pretty funny stuff. :)

Sarah Palin

She rocked last night. She gave a phenomenal speech...I hope you got to see it. Her youngest daughter is sweet as can be ... standing on the stage with her mom, waving so proudly to the crowd, not a care in the world. Bob and I got a big kick out of her for that. She was adorable. The speech was powerful and she delivered it better than anyone else could. It was an amazing night for her. If you didn't see it, I hope you get the chance.

The one bad thing I've discovered about the Republican Party? Their love for country music! Ugh! I'll get over it though! ;)