Anxious...

An anxious heart weighs a man down.  Proverbs 12:25

During our bible studies this morning, Noah & I came across this verse.

It spoke to me, on more levels than one.

In preparing to sell our house for our move (after all that happened the last time we sold a house - it took 9 months of having to be apart from Jacques), I am beginning to feel a little anxious.

I keep praying for God to take this anxiety from me, but this bad weed of a feeling keeps poking it's head!

So when we read this, it really touched me!

Less than one hour later, a dear friend called me and asked me to pray for two families.

• One family has been affected by a suicide.
• The other family has been affected by a house fire.  The woman lost her spouse in the fire and had to jump to save her life.  She is left with a broken back and burned legs and arms.
• Plus, this past weekend a guy I went to high school with, an RCMP officer with 3 young boys had a heart attach and died.  He was laid to rest today.

My heart is heavy for all these families.

I shared this verse with my friend earlier today.

Later on, she called me and thanked me for sharing this.  She told me that it really helped her.

It really helped me today too.

I hope you in some way, it will help you too!  Hand it over to God, because with Him ALL things are possible!

Good night and God Bless.

Psalm 121

....was the scripture this past weekend at church.

Somehow (despite not knowing all the words verbatim) I can't stop reciting small parts of this passage and what this passage means to me.

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

The past few weeks have been....ummmm....challenging to say the least!!! And this passage is just reminding me to trust in God. Trust, that he will watch over me. Trust, that he will give me the strength and patience I need right now. Trust, that he watches over me and guides me to make the right decisions.

So as I continue to think of this passage, I am feeling like THIS is my reminder that God is the one who is really in control here and that I just have to follow his lead.

And.....this is exactly what I will do.

Easter Sunday Service

Okay....so Easter this year was a little different for me, just as Christmas was for me. This was the first year that we 'really' focused on the true meaning of the season. For me, it was very emotional.

At church Easter Sunday (evening) service, the youth group performed this skit. At first when the 'drunk' came out, I was thinking 'boy, I'm not so sure that Noah should be seeing this'. By the time the 'Emo Guy' came out with the knife & gun, I knew for sure that I did not want Noah to be seeing this....BUT....

...once the true message of this skit revealed itself, I (literally) bawled my eyes. Thankfully we were sitting in the last row!!! Miss Ruth Anne (the pastors wife) was in the back taking care of the lighting. She caught a glimpse of the 'boo-hoo'er' in the back row' and came to my rescue with some Kleenex!!!



What a powerful message, eh? I love it!

Praise Christ....

....for dying for all us sinners.

We saw this video in church today. It brought me to ever so 'thankful' tears and I just wanted to share....

Changes are coming...

I haven't been much in the mood for writing these days. I can't narrow it down other than I've been feeling a little 'funky' these days - lots of stuff on my mind!

Since January, I have been volunteering in Noah's class 3 days a week (sometimes up to 4 or 5 times). It has been wonderful to be around children, gaining some 'hands on/resume worthy' experience with children and especially a thrill to have the opportunity to spend the time with Noah in a class room setting witnessing young minds being formed! Last week, Noah's teacher only needed me on Friday. During the week, I had lots of time to clean, think, cook, clean, think, clean, think, cook....etc. (I think you get my point) It also made me think that possibly I was beginning to go a little stir crazy. I think I am in need of something, possibly the spring, sun or something more?

As well - just as one of my friends (Christa) wrote on her blog here "The Simple Life" about their family directly affected by the recession - SO HAS OURS. Since February, Jacques company has cut all employees hours in an effort to be responsible and as a proactive measure during these unstable economic times. Though Jacques still works pretty much the same hours (with the occasional Friday afternoon off - which IS very nice) his pay has still dropped. I haven't shared this because it did not really have an impact on us, considering it was only supposed to last for 2 months. Just last week we found out that these changes will remain until further notice (they will be reviewed month by month). Considering Jacques' income is our ONLY income, these changes (in time) will begin to affect our budgeting efforts and has made us begin thinking much more closely about how & where we spend our money. We have realized that due to these changes, our reaction must be one of 2 things; either we cut out some of our extras from our budget or I begin to work a little compensate where Jacques pay has dropped.

Though this is really not that big of deal - it is still a change (and has been weighing on my mind) and if you know me, my biggest fear is the unknown. These times are definitely the unknown!

All in all, I truly believe these changes are a really great thing, bearing in mind how 'stir crazy' I've been feeling lately and I KNOW it is a blessing in disguise. We have been VERY blessed with a comfortable life and with lots of extras. It won't hurt cutting some of these extras out, that's for sure! It will however be a great lesson of living a more simple life and I am SO okay with that!!!

In the coming weeks, I will begin thinking about ways I can make a little bit of money from home or look for a part time job that will give me around 10 'flexible' hours per week so that I can work within school hours. Our main objective is that Noah will NOT have to attend day care. If this will have to happen, then we will gladly cut our budget.

Until then, I will continue thinking creatively and if you have any ideas, please feel free to share!

Discovery Club - Bake Out

Noah attends an after school club one day a week called Discovery Club (a branch of the Pioneer Clubs) which is an international Children’s Ministry for children grades K – 5. It is a fun place where the children have fun snacks, grow spiritually, learn practical life skills, make lifelong friendships & play fun games. There are 5 boys from Noah's class that attend as well as other children. They have to earn badges for life skill activities and badges for bible related 'things'. This day, the children earned their 'Outdoor Cooking' badge and their 'Using the Bible' badge. For the past few weeks, they had different versus that they had to look up and memorize and on this day they had to bake their own spider dogs, pita pizzas & taco bags over a campfire in the snow.

After the kids finished their baking, as a surprise Pastor Jim made some good old fashion toffee in the snow. Need I have to say just HOW much they loved this!!!

Please Pray for Abby

I have been following little Abby and her family for many months now. She has been in my thoughts & prayers every day since I was first 'introduced' to her. Please take some time to read below (copied from their blog), watch the video and most importantly PRAY for this little angel!

As copied from http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/:

The Valley Begins Wednesday... Would You Pray For Abby and Let Others Know About Her?

Tomorrow, Abby starts a phase of her treatment where she is least likely to survive.

For the past few days, we have been asking everyone to ask everyone they know to join us in praying for Abby, and for God to be glorified through this troublesome journey. We aren't trying to focus on death, or the negative aspects because we feel hopeless... we just wanted to use the four days leading up to this next phase to communicate how serious this time is, and bring people into the prayer group with us.

Are you a new visitor? Here is a video I did last night to quickly let you know who Abby is, and where her journey has taken her:



You may also want to read a couple of posts that give some of the important updates:

* Some sad news about Abby

* Abby's Facebook Prayer Group

* Here is a link that will open up a pre-written, preformatted email asking folks to pray for Abby

As we begin this new phase, we want to emphasize that we TRUST GOD and His will. We would be sad if Abby goes to heaven, but know that she will be in a far better place. That's not just poetic rhetoric or a feel-good cliche... we BELIEVE it as sure as we believe anything.

We are not asking people to pray to coerce God, but rather to knit together a community with a common point of unity. Imagine the joy of a Father when His children petition Him on behalf of those He considers the MODEL of who will enter the Kingdom: little children.

We are overwhelmed, humbled and undeserving of the love, prayers and encouragement we have received... on behalf of Abby, our family is forever grateful and deeply moved by the demonstration of love from people all over our nation, and the world.

Please continue to let other people know, share our blog with them, put us on prayer lists, and let us know how we can pray for you. Again:

* Here is a link that will open up a pre-written, preformatted email asking folks to pray for Abby

We have hope and true joy as we move into the "valley of the shadow" because our hope in is God, and His only Son.

How can we be a blessing to you today? Leave us a comment and let us know...

A Giant of a Man

My sister sent me a link to this video tonight...THANK YOU for introducing me to this man. What a humbling video. God really is GREAT by the way he works in our lives!

Take the time to watch this video - it's worth it!


From the website:

A Giant of a Man - Meet Nick Vujicic

His name is Nick Vujicic and he's 25 years old. He was born without arms or legs and given no medical reason for this condition. Faced with countless challenges and obstacles, God has given him the strength to surmount what others might call impossible. Along with that, the Lord has placed within him an unquenchable passion to share this same hope and genuine love that he's personally experienced with more than two million people all over the globe. Traveling extensively to over 19 nations, he's been extremely humbled by the continuous opportunities that the Lord has given him to share his testimony along with the hope that he has in Jesus with people in so many nations and situations. His greatest joy in this life is to introduce Jesus to those he meets and tell them of His great desire to get to know them personally by allowing Him to become their Lord and Savior. http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org

Saddened

Today is a pretty sad day in our house. After several weeks of major struggles; Jacques, Noah & I have decided that Noah will dis-continue playing hockey for the season.

Since the beginning of the season, we noticed that Noah's heart was not in hockey the way it once was. This has left us completely baffled considering this is the complete opposite of what his first two seasons of hockey were like. He "lived, breathed and ate" hockey, he couldn't get enough. 7am practices, he would be up and starting to get ready before Jacques & I even got up. He was enthusiastic, passionate and LOVED the sport. NOW: to get him to a practice is a fight, he complains about anything that he thinks will get him off the ice (his legs hurt, his arm hurts, he's tired, he doesn't want to go, etc). At every game, he 'loafs' around the ice, complaining that he wants a different position (then he gave him a different position and it's still the same). He "says" he really wants to plays, but his actions are screaming otherwise. I can't help but wonder, what happened? Why the change in attitude? Is it the different level (from Initiation to Novice)? Is it the different area (Dieppe to Grand Falls, where this sport is VERY French and click'ish sport for this small town)? I can't help but feel disheartened for Noah and will continue to wonder 'why'?

NOW, the other dilemma (as parents) we have been trying to come to grips with is allowing him to 'quit' without finishing the season. We don't believe in quitting, but we have continually asked ourselves "at WHAT cost do you force your kids to fulfill a commitment or when do you rationalize that it's okay to call it quits?"

That was until last night's practice when the decision for him to quit became a black & white situation for me. I literally had to force Noah to go. After interrupting Jacques with his boss, for a little father-son hockey talk, Jacques & I decided to threaten taking away privileges for the night if he did not go to practice, thinking this would give him the push he needed (considering the WII is so much fun). He said he would go to practice because he didn't want to lose out on playing the WII. Once off the phone with Jacques, he resisted getting dressed, cried the whole time, complained and lashed out (out of frustration). He complained of sore legs (one week it's his legs, the next it's sore arms - but EVERY week there is an excuse). As he continued to go on, I went upstairs had a good cry and prayed. Once we got to practice, his complaints continued with the coaches and he lasted all of 15-20 minutes before he got off the ice.

As he got his gear off in the locker room, I was pretty quiet (internalizing what to do next). When he asked me what was wrong, I told him I was disappointed. He got defensive and began his 'lashing out' again. I remained fairly silent, realizing that I would only make matters worse if I responded to any of his words. This lasted for most of the drive home.

I realized that I DO NOT want to continue to push him to do something he is resisting so strongly. I do have one concern: Is there something more that I am missing as to why he is not enjoying hockey this year? By the time we got home, Noah was crying and was one sad little boy all because I was disappointed, not because he would not play hockey anymore. This broke my heart. This is NOT something that I want my son to feel. Once we both calmed down, we hugged, cried and I explained to him that if he did not want to play anymore then he did not have to.

All this said, I still wanted him to learn the lesson that you just can't 'quit'. Thankfully, my sister was home when I called for some sisterly advise and she gave a great idea. Though Noah will not continue the season, he will still be responsible to reimburse us for the remainder of the season that we already paid for. Of course, he had to think about this for a bit when Jacques and I told him this....but he cheerfully agreed. NOW let me make my intentions clear: we will take this money from his savings account but we will place it into a bond or another type of investment for him later in life. So, the lesson here is that he learns that you can't just quit and if you do, it comes with a price!

I spoke with the coach as well as the person in charge of the Novice division. Both were disappointed for Noah, but could understand. They suggested that we take a few weeks off and if Noah wants to come back at any point in the season, he is more than welcome. Both also asked if something had happened with any of the other players. And of course, the man in charge of Novice (and who I took direction from as Team Manager) was VERY disappointed that he was losing his Team Manager as well!! Thankfully, most of the work is done now (considering our Jamboree was just last weekend).

All in all, I feel comfortable with our decision for Noah yet still sad & confused about his change of heart.

SOME MEMORIES OF NOAH'S HOCKEY CAREER

Year One (2006-2007 Hockey Season)
1st Year Initiation

Year Two (2007-2008 Hockey Season)
2nd Year Initiation

Year Three (2008-2009 Hockey Season)
1st Year Novice