An Early CHRISTmas

My heart is bursting today with unspeakable joy!  Lately I have received one gift after another and they have all led me to say humbly, "I see God". I see his goodness in so many ways. I see His Greatness! It has brought me those joyous grateful tears that seem to be endless. To say I see God may sound weird but that's really the only way for me to describe it.

 I see God in my youngest boy, in the way he gives me unexpected affection, in his prayers that are muffled, in his purity, so much purity! I see God in my daughter ,in the way she has stepped up to challenges and miraculously succeeded! I see God in the strength and determination my son carries when the doctor's report isn't very encouraging. I see God in my husband's eyes, in his genuine love for me, and his ability to overcome diversions and lead others to do the same. I see God in my convictions. I see God in specific scriptures posted for me on the freeway! I see God in His provision. I see God in the long life of my grandma. I see God in my parent's heart for hospitality and giving. I see God in the trees, the sky, in divine appointments with strangers and friends. This, BABY JESUS, in a manger has given me everything I need. More than enough.

Is my life perfect? No. Do I struggle a lot to fight guilt, fear, and comparison? Yes! Do I get disappointed sometimes? Yes! But God is bigger than all of it! God is bigger than my worst mistake. Even though the struggles are there, through God's eyes, I can focus on all the gifts HE gives me! I asked Him today what He wanted me to do with all of this that I've been given. I am so in awe of His goodness. It's overwhelming. In my heart I hear....."Just keep going Jeanette, keep looking for me in all of your circumstances. Keep going. Keep praying, keep persevering, keep giving. Keep going. Press On. Reach out. You are Enough." Merry Christmas!!
To God Be the Glory!!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20-21‬

Bloom Week One

Before I attended Bloom, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I went in willing, but with a little hesitation. I knew I needed the body of Christ and I couldn't continue this journey on my own. Moments after the class started I knew I was at the right place at the right time. God knew exactly what I needed.

The first topic that was discussed was the importance of sitting at the feet of Jesus. Our foundation must be in Christ. Everything we do and say is a direct reflection of our time spent with The Lord. They had a panel of seasoned mothers and grandmothers giving different examples of how they set their time aside with The Lord, in their younger years and in the present. Some in the morning, some at night, some during their children's nap time. Everyone is different. The point was to be intentional about setting the time aside. They stressed the importance of giving ourselves grace, lots and lots of grace. Also, our time with The Lord will vary upon the different seasons in our life.

Some nuggets I wrote down:
We must declutter our thoughts and mind by washing of the word. Meditating on it, memorizing it, reminding ourselves of Who God Is, turning off all the noise and bringing in the quiet. As we do this, our vision is cleared and our joy is renewed.

But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. (‭Psalm‬ ‭1‬:‭2-3‬ NIV)

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭8-9‬ NIV)

We must be willing to die to self. We must be willing to lose ourselves. When I let go of my own earthly desires, comforts, and conveniences and totally surrender to the work at hand, then and only then can the power of Christ be fully at work in me. Elizabeth Elliott said it perfectly "the secret is Christ in me , not me in a different set of circumstances". We will face all sorts of mountains in our life, and we will even be challenged beyond what we think we can handle, and at times, we may want to run away from it all , but with Christ as our foundation, we are given the power to stand no matter how difficult the storm . In Christ we are unshakable, immovable, steady and firm!
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you,
Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1-2‬ NIV)
To God Be The Glory!

Blooming Again

It feels like forever since I have blogged. A little update on my family. My oldest son graduated from high school in June. He is currently attending junior college in hopes of being recruited for football by a D1or D2 school. I admire his patience and determination and I am supporting him every step of the way. My daughter also promoted in June and she is currently a freshman in high school. It's been quite the roller coaster ride so far, honestly, a lot harder than I expected, but God has been good through every single dip and turn! His faithfulness is unending and my hands are up and surrendered! My youngest will be 3 at the end of the year and he is full of energy, joy, and laughter! He is also very determined and my hardest of the three at this age. I am beyond thankful for him though! He brings all the "tough times" into perspective .

     Last month I decided to join a class at my church called "BLOOM"... Building a Legacy Out of Motherhood.  One may think that my kids are a little old for this? Isn't it a little too late to build a legacy??  Well, the great news is that God's mercies are new every morning and everyday we are all given a second, third, and fourth chance to build a new legacy! It is never too late to build or re-build a legacy.  I've had moments that I will remember fondly with my older two, moments I wish I could repeat over and over again because they bring so much joy to my heart. I also have moments I wish I could take back in a heart beat. They are both a part of who I am though, the good and not so good.  They are a part of the legacy that began 18years ago. Thank God my legacy is not over! Thank God I am not the same person I was when this all started. Thank God my legacy is ongoing, transforming, and renewing day by day. Because of Christ, that is, only because of Christ! So, this new class I decided to take could not have come at a better time in my life! I'm glad I didn't let pride come in between the need for growth and re-building!   I have learned so much already, and I have been reminded of simple small acts that can make such a huge impact on my family. This stuff is all so good and beneficial and it has brought me back to this blog for two reasons.

1. I want to document all that I am learning so I can actually use these tools I have been given.  I don't want to forget anything!
2. I want to pass on all of the valuable info. I am receiving with any other mom wanting to do some re-building too!

I look forward to sharing with you! To God be the Glory!

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (‭Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭3-5‬ NIV)

Making Room For God's Hand

My family had the opportunity to go to Disneyland last week. It was my youngest son's very first time. Of course he loved it! Enjoy the pictures while I share the latest on my heart. Sometimes God has to show me things again and again. He is so good to me. Even when I forget the simple things. His love remains.

I heard this last weekend from one of the speakers at #ifgathering (I can't remember who) "Make room for God to move". I can't stop thinking about it, specifically in the life of my children. Make room for God to move on behalf of my children.




It's my tendency to take over and micro-manage every single thing so they will succeed. I know I've talked about this many times, but it is a HUGE struggle. But God. But God. He is showing me to sit. To be still. To pray hard. Let His Grace Cover the Inadequacies. Let His Sovereign Power do the fighting and the intervening. Then God will be glorified through any and all victories in their life. When we try to do it all, we are taking away the chance of our children seeing the hand of God in their own lives. There is no better way for our children to grow in the Lord than experiencing first hand how much God sees and knows them. Won't it be such a wonderful moment when they can know in their own heart that the situation just had to be God's hand working on their behalf!!!!?  Pure joy! I just experienced one of these moments yesterday with one of my children. I look forward to many more as the two older ones grow into adulthood.  I'm learning. I think motherhood is a lifetime of learning. Today I am reminding myself: Be still. Trust God. Pray hard. Breath.

To God Be The Glory!

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Armed With Strength

Happy February! I missed new years, so considering this is my first blog of 2016, I felt like I had to celebrate!  So, happy day! Happy thursday! We are already in the second month of this new year and I still have lots on my heart from the last few months.  Time to just write it all down.  The sun has been shining outside the last couple of days and I'd say it reflects whats going on inside of me also. God is great!

At the beginning of this year I felt God showing me that I was going to walk in strength this year. I was going to be strong.  If there was a word for 2016, it was  "STRENGTH" .  There was a road ahead that required this of me. I needed to prepare and rise to the call. At first I raised my hand and said Yes!!!  Then reality hit. At that time I was thinking, I am literally at one of the weakest times in my life. I am not strong at all. I am weak physically because of eating too much and not exercising. I am weak emotionally because I experienced different types of hurt, put calluses on my heart, and opened the door to discontentment and comparison. I am weak mentally because I started relying on myself and not God. Then comes my weakness spiritually because I felt like all I did was cry to God and I couldn't give any of His goodness to anyone. My well was dry. Totally not qualified to be a Woman of Strength!!!! This is the great part though.  With God, we don't have to qualify to be worthy! We are! Right!!?  God's grace, Jesus's blood makes us worthy and strong. So at that point I knew that if I had any strength in my being..... It Was and Is ALL God!

I started fighting back. I think my first step was acknowledging what was going on inside of my heart. I read a lot.  Even in the midst of all this weakness, I still pressed on. I am still pressing on. One article I read was about allowing God to heal my heart rather than build calluses around it. That hit me right where it needed to. Being a mom, if your child gets hurt, you hurt a thousand times more. Most of the time I get over it, but this time I had hardened my heart. It wasn't good. I didn't "guard my heart," as the scriptures say to do. Then from there, I experienced some disappointments, received news about my health that I didn't want to hear, and went through some more growing pains of motherhood. My heart wasn't guarded.  Looking at social media was the worst thing I could do for myself. But there I was, seeing all of the perfection blasted through the holidays and I fell into the lies of discontentment and comparison.  I just wanted to be alone.  I wanted to experience this pain alone. At that time I also condemned myself for wanting to go through it alone. Now looking back, I realize that some people like to go through their pain alone while others like people to ride along with them. Neither one is wrong. Condemnation is a heavy thing. Don't fall victim to it. God wants us to be free. Just another subject I can go on about.

Thank you Jesus,  that all ended. I started praying and asking God to heal my heart. To soften it. To guard it. It is still tender, but the healing is very much at work. This is the absolute best part! I started looking up scriptures of strength. In the past I have always remembered scriptures of God telling us to Be Strong, but for some reason the scriptures that kept jumping out at me all had to do with God being my strength!!! I don't have to be because He IS!!!  Best news ever to this weary momma! God is Great!

Before I wrap this up, I don't share all of this to have a pity party. Whenever I share my heart, it is always because I know if I am going through these things that I am not the only one. If I could somehow encourage one person by putting out my authentic heart for all the world to read about, then it is worth it. Pray for me, yes. Pray for all of your sisters in Christ who may be having tough seasons as well.  We all need each other. Thank you for reading those of you in Russia, China, Germany and good ole' U.S.A.  God is Great! To God Be The Glory!

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am STRONG. (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9-10‬ NIV)

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the STRENGTH of my heart and my portion forever. (‭Psalm‬ ‭73‬:‭26‬ NIV)

But I will sing of your STRENGTH in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. (‭Psalm‬ ‭59‬:‭16‬ NIV)

You are my STRENGTH I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. (‭Psalm‬ ‭59‬:‭17‬ NIV)

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the STRENGTH of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? (‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭1‬ NKJV)

Finally, be STRONG in the Lord and in his mighty power. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ NIV)

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives STRENGTH to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their STRENGTH. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28-31‬ NIV)

“Be STRONG and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be STRONG and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭7-9‬ NIV)“

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with STRENGTH and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. (‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭31-34‬ NIV)