10 things!

a few things to share today:

1. my parents found favor with the council of the municipality! YES! the build can begin. yesterday when Michael and I stopped to pray just before the meeting was about to begin, I felt that God was in control and that we could trust him, but I was still a little nervous! Praise God that this is one more step forward.

2. it's less than 4 months till christmas. i've never been as excited for that as I am this year!

3. i forget to blog sometimes because I don't always feel like going on my computer after working on one all day!

4. yesterday we snuck our supper into the movie theater in my giant purse. yum.

5. as of today i've been married for 11 months!

6. i saw the baby kick on Monday. !! so cute, just poking around in leah's belly!

7. i'm way too excited about getting my norwex mop this week. my floors are going to be clean!

8. i still don't understand the fact that: Pluto is no longer a planet, and Indigo is no longer in the rainbow.

9. i'm really excited about spending time with mom and leah this weekend. including massages at the spa!

10. finally.. i just signed up for a class! It's a photography class, and it starts on September 12, and runs for 8 weeks. I'm very excited, but terribly nervous! I think it will be worth it tho. and it will be finished in time for me to know how to take wonderful pictures of the baby in December, perfect timing.

An invitation from my Mom & Women Refreshed at the Well

We would like to invite YOU to a: Come and See ~ Walk and Pray event at the future site of Women Refreshed at the Well!!

WHEN: Sunday, September 13th from 3-5 pm

WHERE: the land right next to the church (Corpus Christi) at 5819 Henderson Hwy. We do not have a number sign yet, but it will be marked!!

WHAT: we would like to give you the opportunity to come and see where we are Lord willing, planning to build and where the ministry will operate from. When you come, you will be invited to walk and pray! And then, make sure to pull your lawnchair around the fire and enjoy a cup of coffee and some refreshements and fellowship.

WHAT TO BRING: a lawnchair, and good walking shoes.

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend! It will be a day of blessing the ministry and the land!

If you need more info – feel free to email us at womenrefreshed@gmail.com

To read more about Women Refreshed at the Well visit us here: http://womenrefreshed.wordpress.com

you and me together, yes, yes

it's been quite the week...
some good, some bad.

most important things to take from it: i have some really good friends, josh and leah's baby is healthy and cute, phoebe is coming home soon, the house is clean and the yard looks great, family is always supporting and loving... and knows just went to listen, pray and not need to know all the details. and finally, i have a wonderful husband who really loves me, and that is such a great feeling!

i bought the newest dave matthew's cd a while ago and michael and i can't get enough of it.
whenever i get in the car i turn it back to track 13 and listen to it and sing along

here is my favorite part:

you & me together could do anything, baby
you & me together yes, yes
you & me together we can do anything baby
You & me toghter yes, yes

we can always look back at what we did
always remembering you & me
for right now it's you and me forever girl
you know we could do better than anything that we did
you know that you and me we could do anything

when we see you, we find strength to face the day.

praise is rising, eyes are turning to You
we turn to You
hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You
we long for You

when we see You we find strength to face the day
in Your presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna! Hosanna!
You are the God who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna! Hosanna!
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here Lord Jesus

hear the sound of hearts returning to You
we turn to You
in Your kingdom broken lives are made new
You make us new
when we see You we find strength to face the day
in Your presence all our fears are washed away, washed away
brenton brown - hosanna (praise is rising)

i remember the first time i heard this song
i was at a women's leadership conference in ontario with my mom, theresa and ellen
i remember how the song was new but the words were my own

last night we were singing it at our practice for tonight's service and i realized that the first time i heard it, the first verse of this song resonated with me. i was praising and thankful for the hope Jesus gives us. for what he had in store for me, to give him all my praise!

and now i've realized that it is the last verse that resonates with me. my heart is returning to Jesus. our lives have been broken... at church i think we actually sing "broken hearts are made new" and that is true for me too. our lives and hearts have both been broken... but Jesus wants to make them new! he has been making them new. losing Jay was the hardest thing that could've happened but Jesus has not left our side. would i ask for that kind of pain again? NEVER. am i different than before? yes. Jay's life has changed mine! i will be forever grateful for the things i have realized and the ways my eyes have been opened. Jesus works thru our pain. not to justify death and sadness, but to show himself as faithful through it.

on another note, i am very thankful for the friends i have. last night we went to matt and shaunas, ate eggo's and watched sytycd. i am very thankful that we have lots of places to relax, be ourselves and enjoy fun, conversation and also talk about whats all going on in our lives.
and.. i miss jo! we're talking about maybe going to visit there in the fall or winter.. but i'm thinking it will probably end up being winter.. we shall see!

our God, He reigns forever

i want to thank those of you who have been praying for me and my family

i can say, without a doubt that i felt held up by those prayers especially on Friday as we celebrated Jay's birthday.

on Friday around lunch time, I went to the cemetery. I cried as I looked at what people brought to his grave, and cried knowing that this was such a small window into all that we wanted to give him!
i sat beside the stone that has his name beautifully carved into it. i sat there and told him that it was his birthday and that i loved him more every single day! i read psalm 139 and told him that he was perfectly and wonderfully made.

i felt Jesus sitting there beside me and read the bible out loud, claiming the promises for me, for Jay, for Josh and Leah, for Michael, for my mom and dad, for Leah's parents, and ian and morgan and the list went on.

the evening was a time of family and of celebrating Jay. it was so good to be together.

on thursday I could already feel prayer holding me up. holding me closer to Jesus. i had decided not to sing on the worship team, as I felt that it would be better for me to have a chance to worship on my own and not infront of the congregation necessarily. I did however remain involved by doing the powerpoint for the service, which ended up being a blessing to me. i had to follow the words closer than i do normally, since, as a singer I am good at memorizing songs quickly, and normally don't need to look at the words. Sometimes this puts me on autopilot and i think i lose out on some of the significance of the words and the message we are proclaiming.

i read this song, as I was singing and scrolling thru the power point. it is a special song to me, and part of it is at the top of my blog page. strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.
his grace is sufficient for us! his power thru my weakness.

i was able to sing the words, and felt the power of proclaiming them

strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, as we wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord

our God, He reigns forever!
our HOPE, our strong deliver

You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God
you do not faint, you won't grow weary.
you're the defender of the weak
you comfort those in need
you lift us up on wings like eagles.

thank you to those who are blessing my family and i thru your prayers.