Monday Mornings!

I don't think I'm alone when I say that Monday mornings are tough. You just got done with a hectic Sunday and then the week starts allllll over again. Sometimes there is this looming sense of defeat when you hop(actually its more like a drag) yourself out of bed.

This morning I was telling my mom that sometimes I ask myself, "Is this what I get to do everyday for the rest of my life? Wake up, take care of kids, clean house, do laundry, and go to bed? Everyday?"  At the time it seemed like a logical comment. After sitting down to have some quiet time, I realized how irrational my thinking truly was.

Here is some of the things I realized...
God made me to worship! I dont have to be in a church pew or standing in choir to worship the Lord. He will take me sitting in my PJ's singing ,"What a friend we have in Jesus," and be thrilled! He will take me cleaning my house to Mandisa or MercyMe and singing along. When I stopped and asked the question, "Is this all my life is? Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life," I was humbly reminded in my quiet time that thats IS what I meant to do! "Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that your MY God. Your all together lovely, all together worthy, all together wonderful to me." BECAUSE the Lord has allowed me to stay home and be a homemaker, I am at liberty to burst into worship at any given moment! LOL. In striving to be the mother and wife and daughter and church member that God so clearly spells out in Proverbs 31, I am doing EXACTLY what the Lord wants of me. NOW don't get me wrong. Its a struggle. I often phone my mom or a friend telling how much a struggle it really it.

I also realized that everyday that I have to watch my kids and wash their clothes and wife their faces, is a blessing. Sometimes you dream of that perfectly clean house with no dogs and even maybe a maid. Then you wake up and see the peanut butter stuck in your child's hair, your dog then licking it out of your child's hair, and then your child giving the dog a big kiss! However, in that moment of stress and maybe a little disgust, you realize how precious it really is. I will be the first to admit, I can have me some pity parties. Some real "Whoa is me" moments. Then I realize what a miracle my life has turned out to be. God took a HUGE mistake and made it a even bigger blessing and miracle. He took the most unlikely candidate to be blessed and blessed me anyway. Not only do I have a husband who takes me like I am, knowing the package came with children, but he has loved them as his own and loved me more everyday. Not to mention the  Lord has decided to bless us with the heart for ministry!

So after my "Whoa Is Me" fit this morning, I have  taken a moment to reflect on what my life REALLY is. Its not, "Do I get to look forward to the same old thing everyday for ever?" Its more along the lines of, "Because the LORD took my ruins and made them into a vessel for him, I have a husband, a home, a church, a family, etc! What more could I possibly ask for!"

Its always a wonderful and humbling day, when the Lord reminds you of your blessings!!

Crazy Fridays

Normally my hubby doesnt have to work Fridays. However, he swapped shifts to have Sunday off. Therefore, he had to work today:( I enjoy our days off.  We can run around to our favorite spots like Book Nook in the Mounds Mall and other fun places. However, its good to have another day for my to catch up.

It always happens that his days off are fun and we spend lots of time out and therefore, the house goes into disarray. So for me, today was just another day to catch up. Maybe the Lord new my laundry was piling higher than it needed to be:)

Chris should be finding out anyday whether or no he has Sundays off. I really hope he gets the shift he bidded for. Then I could actually sit next to by hubby every service. That would be WONDERFUL!

Well nothing else truly exciting has happened so I guess thats it for me today:)

Morning Frenzy!!

This morning was not the best of mornings! After all, I was about to call out the National Guard:) Ok, maybe not that drastic but close.

This morning I woke to find my husband gone and kids in the high chairs. So of course I figure that Chris has gone to grab bacon as ahe often does on his days off. That man LOVES his breakfast! Even if they are a heart attack waiting to happen. Well needless to say, two hours later, I was in quite the frenzy wondering where my husband was. Is he ok? Did he get pulled over? Whats going on! After a phone call to the sherrif and police department, I discover that no accidents have been reported this wonderful Thursday morning.

No before you judge me too thoroughly on my efforts to figure out where my hubby was, lets remember who my parents are. Sue Williams - pretty relaxed. Doesn't get worked up easily over anything really. Unless it concerns the grand-babies. Bob Williams - Lovingly known as Captain Safety. Once in RI, my mom was gone a lot longer than she should of been and he did the same thing! We are just being thorough after-all. So I think its safe to say that I come by this worry habit honestly.

To redeem myself, I stopped to have one semi-rational thought that included my husband mentioning to donate today. So I call the blood place and they told me he had checked in there(this is confidential of course as they are not supposed to do that:) After explaining that I was about to lose my mind with worry, she graciously told me:)

Now while he wasn't doing anything wrong, I would of loved to know he was even gone! The kids were in their high chairs and I was sleeping; awoken to crying children and a missing husband! Knowing his thinking was to get it out of the way early to have more time with me and the kids allows me to be understanding of it all. Even though I may have sprouted a few grays hairs in my 2 hour ordeal.

So word to the wise men, don't leave and be gone for hours without letting your wife know. You might come home to a wife dead after heart attack:)

Our Calling

Earlier this month my husband and I felt a tugging on our hearts for ministry. I found this extremely amusing considering the fact that I had told the Lord YEARS ago that I did NOT want to be with someone in the ministry. I grew up in a preacher's family and saw how hard and at times discouraging it could be. There is something to be said for a Pastor's wife. The list of things they must do goes on and on! I've watched my own mother have to deal with other's criticism of her husband, always respond with a smile, be careful to not offend anyone, and ultimately be the picture of a Proverbs 31 woman. That all seemed WAY out of my reach so I figured I would not even try! So when Chris came to my with the thoughts of ministry, I was a little wary.

You know its funny...

Its funny how God can place something in your heart at the exact moment your trying to say you dont want to. Chris and I started to pray to the Lord to narrow down the vision for our future. After all, ministry is a broad thought. Youth? Bus? Pastorate? Jail? Music? The possibilities go on and on. Well we noticed that about a week before our Annual Missions Conference was to commence, we felt pulling on our hearts for missions. On Mission's Sunday, we told the Lord, "I'll go where you want me to Go." While missions is narrowing it down a bit, there is still a focus that needs to be seen. Will we be temporary aids to missionaries on furlow? Will we be full-time missionaries? Will we be church planters as missionaries in the U.S?? Those are all questions that I know in time, the Lord will answer.

This blog will be a journey through the next 7 years of our lives as we get our educations, internships, and deputation underway.

My First Post

I have always been one to Facebook with the rest of them.  I enjoy a good comment here and there but I have yet to venture into the world of blogging. I find it actually terrifying.  Will I be witty?  Will I be boring?? Then I realized that that is not what blogging as about at all. I have seen some blogs that are soley for the purpose of venting. I have seen some that are selling spots for home-made goods. I have also seen blogs with stories of survival in the midst of life threatening illnesses.  When I created this account, I had to decide...

WHAT WILL MY BLOG BE??

The answer wasn't far behind my question. I wish to have a place to put my thoughts. In doing so one might find humor, one might find encouragement, and hopefully no one will find me venting:) Hopefully this will be another tool to "Make a joyful noise." 

I hope you find whatever you may be looking for in a blog you would follow:)