2 weeks to go!

 

Baby Girl is almost here! It's been an extremely hard pregnancy and now, we are being pressured to have her by 39 weeks or they'll give us a repeat C-Section. Praying hard and Waiting on the Lord. May He have His way and be Glorified. We can't wait to hold her in our arms.

True Joy

Are you frustrated? Utterly discouraged because of how life is going? What did you expect? Did you believe the lie that life was all about you and your desires? ?Yes nowadays we are taught to indulge, be "ourselves" 

(whatever that means) seek pleasure at all cost but is that really what life is all about? Is it really pleasurable to live in such a manner or does living this way just rob us of joy? Being sinful, indulging in what seems pleasurable to us and seeking to fulfill our own desires only leads to sin and sin to death. So how are we to live then? The Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it simply 

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? 

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

So What is the point of life? How are we to live you ask? Scripture tells us that we ought to live for the glory of God. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31) Instead of seeing all things through the lenses of whether or not whatever we are thinking about doing will be pleasurable for us, we ought to ask instead whether whatever we're considering doing pleases the Lord and will bring Him the most Glory. 

Life is hard, we live in a fallen world. We are constantly met with disappointments. We cannot live for the "pleasures" in  this life. Things in this life are fleeting and passing away. We must set our gaze on Christ and the things above. When we are self absorbed not only are we in sin but we rob ourselves of joy.

R.C. Sproul wrote a book Titled Can I Have Joy in My Life? in it he writes: "The enticement of sin is that we think it will make us happy. We think it will give us joy and personal fulfillment. But it merely gives us guilt, which undermines and destroys authentic joy."

This book has really helped me in my walk. It was extremely difficult for me to transition from living for my own pleasures to living for the Lord and finding my Joy in Him. The Lord has used this book to put everything in perspective for me and teach me to imitate Christ and lay down my life for others not to mention live to do the Will of my Father in heaven rather than doing my own will and whatever I perceive will bring me joy in this life.

Download for Free HERE

Tips for New Parents from Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar

I just bumped into this on the TLC Website.

10. Parenting brings some of the greatest joys in life, but it will also keep you on your knees in prayer.

9. Keep dating each other, even after you have children. The stronger your marriage is, the closer your family will be.

8. Don't be a perfectionist, military drill sergeant to your children. Praise your children ten times more than you correct them.

7. Your children will learn more from what you do than what you say! Lead by example.

6. Realize each one of us makes mistakes everyday and we must be willing to quickly humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness and make things right.

5. Hold everyone lovingly accountable. Gently respond when anyone speaks with sharp words, harshness or anger and make them aware of their tone.

4. Don't be self-centered or put others down. Concentrate on talking with a soft tone and showing acts of kindness to each other.

3. Turn off the computer, TV, and video games and spend time together as a family looking for opportunities to invest in the lives of others in need.

2. You will never regret spending too much time together. Make fun memories; enjoy the time you have with your children because they grow up fast!

1. True success will come as you love God and treat others as you would like to be treated.

Modest, Feminine Dressing for the Plus Size Woman

This Blog post by Jacqueline was super helpful!!!

Definitely check it out!

Modest, Feminine Dressing for the Plus Size Woman





       

Beautiful and Modest Outfits

I was online researching for modest apparel this morning and found a few more sites! Here you go guys ^_^

http://www.shabbyapple.com/ a bit pricey but here are some pictures of what they sell there.


http://putsomethingon.com/index.php/

http://www.jcpenney.com/ (Super Great Prices!) Great Sale going on!

http://www.womanwithin.com/

http://www.4evermodestapparel.com/ (Great Prices!!!)

http://www.expressiva.com/ (If you are nursing a baby you totally should check this out. It's pretty neat)

http://www.seraphine.com/us/

http://oldnavy.gap.com/ (Great Prices!!!)

Bible Study Tools

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;" 1 Timothy 4:7

Do you have questions about marriage?

Do you want to understand what the gospel is?

Do you have questions about God's Character?

DesiringGod.org is a wonderful website that can help you understand the bible better

Here's a little video for some more information on what you will find on the site

Learning more about Modesty

So much has changed since our wedding day! There were things I use to wear that I can no longer wear because my body type has changed due to pregnancy. I've been praying and seeking God's word on what style of dress for me would glorify Him the most. My convictions are growing and changing. I'm learning so much about myself, my body type and God's will revealed through His word. Before I share what my current convictions are for how I feel the Lord desires for me to dress.

What do you do when your body type completely changes and 90% of the things you use to wear are now form fitting or draw more attention to your curves rather than your face?

It's been such a long journey. I'm still learning but wanted to share the little that I've learned so far.

My husband has also been a huge blessing through this process. His feedback on the many things I tried were very helpful.

So far, I've learned that Long Skirts are the best way to go 

The issues I ran into with the knee length skirts were that sometimes the front of the skirt would be way longer than the back due to now having curves. When I wear long skirts I don't have to worry about my skirt rising in the back or anything like that.

I've always worn Jeans growing up but if I must, I have to make sure I have a cardigan long enough to cover in the back. My husband absolutely loves it when I wear skirts so my ultimate plan to Lord willing one day only wear skirts. I just need to learn how to properly wear long skirts in the winter and what combinations I can pull off.

I use to think that I NEEDED to wear pants to be functional but I've also learned that I can do so many things in a skirt! I spent this past summer wearing skirts only and I managed to play various sports with my husband and really have a good time. I didn't have to be concerned when I had to bend over and pick something up or pull down on a cardigan every now and then to make sure I'm covered. It was freeing and I absolutely loved it  :) 

I'm looking forward to next winter to attempt to put various combinations together and glorify the Lord and serve my husband and the church by the way I dress. 

Here are a few quotes and bible verses that encourage/convict me and help me on this journey.

"Dress appropriately, modestly, and not to entice or flaunt." -John Piper

1 Timothy 2:8-10

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

"Women should dress in such a way that they draw men's attention towards their eyes, their face, and not towards the other parts of their bodies." -John Piper

"Clothes are not meant to make people think about what is under them." -John Piper

1 Peter 3:1-4 ESV / 59 helpful votes

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

“Modesty means propriety. It means avoiding clothes and adornment that are extravagant or sexually enticing. Modesty is humility expressed in dress. It’s a desire to serve others, particularly men, by not promoting or provoking sensuality.” -C. J. Mahaney

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV / 44 helpful votes

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

May the Lord give you wisdom and keep you as you seek to glorify Him in the way you dress. 

God Bless!  

November 6, 2012

3 Months! ^_^

Birth Control

Coming from a Roman Catholic background, I tend to look at my sisters' lives see them doing something good like having a natural birth and making it a law that I must follow in order to glorify and honor the Lord. I find myself constantly in chains, entangled in laws I've placed on myself. Our Lord, so faithful and merciful continually points this out to me and shows me the idolatry in my heart. As you all know my husband and I have been convicted about birth control since before we were married, by the grace of God we were with child soon after we married. The Lord in His wisdom saw it fit to allow us to have a C-section and as a result we were told not to have children for at least 18 months. We now use a method of birth control and it hasn't been easy. The enemy never ceases to labor and my husband and I have to constantly wrestle against condemnation and much more. Not sure what the Lord is doing but looking forward to learning more about the will of God concerning our family size. We don't know whether it is something we ought to surrender to Him or our responsibility to plan as a couple. It's all so confusing. We're still reading the word and praying. Lord willing He will answer our cry soon.

Answering Tough Questions

Great advice on how to go about answering the many questions our little ones ask.

This was extremely helpful!

Labor And Delivery

Our baby is here!!!

Azariah Aidenn Samuels

6lbs 8oz, July 30th, 2012 at 5:05am

What an experience!!! My husband and I spent July 29th driving a truck and moving our things from my mother in law's house to our new place. We watched a movie and later the contractions began. One moment I was sitting down singing to Hillsong's This Is Our God CD and the next I was screaming my husband's name to come quickly because it hurts so much! Before I knew it, the ambulance was here and I was being rushed to the hospital.

I'm at the Hospital, anxious but trying to remain calm. They took me to a room to answer some questions and in the process of answering I threw up all over the floor. The nurse was pretty upset. Later the doctor came in and we found out that I was 5 centimeters dilated but baby was not making his way down.

As some of you know, I have the Arnold Chiari Malformationan. DBecause of this rare abnormality, I had to be closely monitered while pregnant. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know if they should allow me to push, fearing that pushing would add pressure to my brain.

I wanted to have what seemed like the typical "Christian woman labor" A water birth with people praying and pushing for the joy that is set before me enduring the pain like Christ that I may obtain the prize but now we were told that we needed to have a C-section and that I needed to be put to sleep because they could not give me an epidural due to the abnormality in my brain. We were devistated. We didn't know what to do. We had prayed that the Lord would give the doctor wisdom and this was what he thought was best. We prayed then submitted to the doctors orders.

I woke up to the sound of my little boy crying. I'm still recovering and have to constantly confess my envy to the Lord, seeing that I not only idolized other christian women and was envious that I could not take part in their wonderful experience. After the procedure my husband and I were told that we needed to wait at least 18 months to have our next child.

We know that it's the Lord who opens and closes the womb. We don't believe in taking birth control so we are forced down to our knees again, seeking direction from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

I'm not sure why the Lord allowed things to happen as they did but I know that He is Sovereign over every detail and that nothing takes Him by surprise.

In this life, I continually seek after ease, comfort, a "good" life and yet He comes in and chooses to glorify Himself through my sufferings revealing to me the evilness in my heart.

Praise the Lord for continually shaking my plans and allowing suffering that I may treasure Him above this life, my health and every vain thing under the sun.