Revival

I just started praying for a revival.

It sounds old-fashioned, but I pray God stirs the hearts of people where I live, and I pray that He uses me. I pray we see many lives changed and that it spreads across this state and across this country, and around the world. I definitely think we should be praying for missionaries and for other countries, but I am going to focus on praying for a change right here.

It may seem impossible, or too difficult. Maybe you think it could never happen where you live. But I believe that with God, all things are possible.

I want it to start in my own home, in my own family. I want to display Christ's love and model that for Declan, and I want it to be contagious.

If you want to, I would love it if you would join me. Please pray for your family and your town. Pray for the non-Christians you encounter every day. God can soften even the hardest heart.

Not for me, thanks

So I will not be drinking alcohol for a while. No, I'm not pregnant.

Adam and I recently switched from insurance through my employer to Samaritan Ministries. We started looking into it last year, and made the switch this year. I'm really excited about it. It is a Christian organization that allocates money among its members as health costs arise, while encouraging prayer and making healthy lifestyle choices to decrease health costs. The application includes a statement of faith, as well as your commitment to not use tobacco and either not consume alcohol, or consume alcohol only in moderation. I don't think it's wrong to drink alcohol, but I think it's just easier to not drink it at all. I think it's very easy for people to go from "a few" to "a few too many."

Reasons I decided to stop drinking:
1. Save money. Holla.
2. I can always be the designated driver, no matter what.
3. When I do get pregnant, me not drinking won't be a dead giveaway.
4. Much like wheat, I don't miss it. I have had about four drinks/sips of alcohol in the past two years (much of that time I was pregnant or breastfeeding often), and even around Christmas when I had my last glass of wine as a "farewell" to drinking, I had maybe half a glass and thought, yep, really not gonna miss this.

So it may not be forever, but as long as we're members of Samaritan Ministries, you can call me for a ride home if you've had too much (assuming someone is home to stay with my sleeping child!) :-)

Trust

I have been a Christian since before I can remember. (I don't actually remember asking Jesus "into my heart," but I remember when I was about 5 years old at an Awana event, they had a time at the end when you could pray the prayer with them to ask Jesus to forgive your sins. I remember telling my leader that I had already asked Jesus into my heart, but I did it again that night "just in case." And she explained to me that I only needed to do it once and then I'm forgiven. I don't remember her name or what she looked like, but that instance has stuck with me.) But it can still be hard to trust in God. I have learned time and again in my 26.33 years of life that things go inifinitely better when I do trust in God, instead of trying to do things my own way. I know this. I even teach my kids in Sunday School that God has a plan, and even though we can't see all of it and we may not understand it, His plan is best. However, it is still hard to be patient and just trust. I guess it comes down to... I trust in God, I just want to trust in Him more, if that makes sense. I'm a work in progress, and thankfully, that's ok.