Love and Grace

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

4.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5.
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6.
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7.
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10.
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

'My grace is sufficient for thee.' This is my 'life verse' if you will. No matter what God brings me in life, I remind myself that His grace is sufficient. Whatever He allows me to go through in life, He will be glorified if I keep my eyes focused on Him. No matter what life throws at me, I keep this Scripture in mind; 'His strength is made perfect in my weakness!'

The Path that Leads to Life

"You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever." ~Psalm 16:11~

Though I may not always know where His path leads, He fills me with peace and joy. He never leaves us nor forsakes us!

Finding our place to serve and worship

After graduation from college and our move to Houston, Jason and I knew we wanted to find a home church as soon as possible. We found a church fairly quickly that we both liked; sermons were great and seeing how it was a large congregation, we just knew we would find a place for us, a place we could serve. Well, month after month passed with closed doors to every effort we put out. These were wonderful Christian people so I just knew that these closed doors to servant hood and relationships had to be from God; He had other plans for us and this was not to be our home church. One day after about a year, an event happened that was the biggest sign to us that this was not the place we wanted to raise our family in. So, we started out again in search of where God wanted us to be.

We tried multiple churches; all of which were really nice. But nothing felt 'right'. I hate the idea of church shopping, but we knew God had a plan and His ways are marked with peace, non of which we had about any of the places we went. Then that one day came! Jason and I attended St. John Lutheran not too far away from our home. We pulled into the parking lot and sat down for service. It wasn't one specific thing that made us at home, but I just knew this is where God wanted us. I felt as if He was telling me, 'This is where I want you two, this is where I have plans for you.' So... we started to attend regularly and started to take the new member classes this past month. Today Jason and I became 'official' members!! What a wonderful gift! We have finally found a place where we can unite with our Christian family and begin to serve! The past few months, I've been working with a couple of ladies getting ready to start a mentoring program between teen ladies and ladies in their 20s who have recently traveled down the roads they are about to embark upon. I'll share more about this later. Here is what I wrote about it the other week:

Finding your Internal Light:
Knowing who you are in Christ!

Today's world presents our youth with so many challenges; creating confusions, fears and uncertainties. Before you can face the world, it's vital to know who you are, what you believe and what you stand for. As individuals, we must know who we are and Whose we are. At that point when we seek God for guidance and direction in our life, we will hear Him and better understand how to follow.

We'd like to invite the young women, grades 7-12, to get together with other young women who recently went through the stages in life they are embarking upon. Our times will be spent having fun in fellowship while sharing life, experiences and God with each other.

Our first activity will be held on Friday, April 9th for a High School Senior Girls' Night Out. We'll get together to share tips and experiences on what life will be like after HS. Technology, dating, parties, studying, careers, etc. Senior girls, please bring along your friends and lots of questions, fears, and excitements to share!

Also, mark your calendars for the weekend of May 14th for a time of spa and fashion in preparation for the summer! We'll have one event for the 7-8th grade ladies and one for those in 9-12th grade.

Please say a prayer for this new ministry; that God takes us only where He wants us to go!

Dear Lord, thank you for bringing Jason and me to this beautiful congregation and surrounding us with such wonderful people. I pray this is not just a home in which we are fed Lord, but a place in which we can serve and share with others what you have so lavished upon us. May your light shine through each of us as we live our daily lives. May our personal walk with you only become stronger, that we may know you more deeply. Thank you for your many blessings and for being with us each step of the journey you have chosen for us. Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and who was raised and sits at your right side. It is in His name we pray, Amen.

http://www.stjohn-lutheran.net/

An Entrusted Journey

They say that life is a journey; one step at a time down the winding road of life. We start off dreaming as children, often playing the roles of what we see our life ending up like; what we’ll be when ‘we’re all grown up’, the spouse and children we’ll have, the vacations we’ll take and the ‘difference’ we’ll make. As we travel down our paths, we learn how different the terrains are in seasons of our lives; some roads are straight and easy, others are filled with non-stop curves. Sometimes we walk through valleys or deep canyons and sometimes up to the mountain top. Sometimes droughts and deserts appear and other times monsoons and lush green pastures. Some paths we take at leisurely strolls and others we zoom by recklessly going what seems a 1000 mph. Sometimes our entire path is lit before us and other times God shines just enough light to allow us to make the next step. No matter what your life’s journey looks like, no matter what mile marker you are passing, the important thing to remember and focus on is that God is right here with us; asking us to relinquish control and let Him lead. Where He goes, we shall follow. The roads may not always be easy, fear and heartache may strike us sometimes, but when we follow, He is always glorified.

I write this to being to share that Jason and I have been going through a difficult journey in which God has placed before us. For reasons only God understands, He has asked us to trust in Him as we travel down the road of infertility. This road has not been easy and nor will it ever be. Each month is marked with the ebb and tide of emotions; excitement and longing, followed by anxiously awaiting, followed by fear and heartache. When each month closes without new life, a new month begins with hope of one. Infertility has been such a challenge to us both; forcing us to grow in ways, individually and as a couple, that we never knew we could or should have to. While my heart aches, my soul has strengthened. For this I praise God and thank Him for this blessing allowing me to grow during this time. Our paths may not always be the ones we choose, but when God is able to lead, they are always the best! I know He has a plan. I know in my heart that He will bless us with children when He is ready. While I’d love for us to have children right now, I am thankful God is in control. I know He has plans for us and His ways are perfect. I pray with all my heart that time is now, but I trust Him completely.

I’ve accepted that having faith by no means takes away any sadness or fears that come along with our trials. I’ve learned that I can go to God and praise Him while I have tears of sadness, disappointment and joy running down my cheeks. I thank God for the wonderful and perfect gift of my beautiful husband, and thank Him for the times we are able to hold each other during this journey. I long for the day we get to hold our lil’ ones and give them hugs and kisses and teach them about their wonderful Father who loves them more than we can fathom. I long for the day my heart skips a beat as I watch my dear husband hold our children for the first time. I can see them take their first steps, fold their little chubby hands as they say their prayers, and get ready for their first day of school. I see graduations and weddings and grandchildren. Yes, Jason and I can’t wait for our ‘lil’ Frenches’ to be running around. But while we wait for that day, we are forever thankful for each other and the beautiful life we are given.

I am uncertain why God has chosen to entrust us with this, but entrust I feel He has done. God does not allow us to go through things in life without a purpose. Despite our pain, I remind myself that God works all things for good; He will be glorified!

We ask for your prayers and support during this time in our lives.

Dear Lord, our perfect and wonderful Creator. Your holiness and love leaves me in awe. Thank you for the beautiful life you have given to us and all the things in which you entrust us with. I pray we may keep our eyes on you that ultimately you may be glorified. Please be with us as we continue to try to grow our family and raise our children you choose to bless us with in fear of you Lord. I pray for health and safety for us and our children along this journey. Thank you for our wonderful family and friends you have placed in our lives. Despite our desires, may your will be done; we trust in You. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

Family and Skiing - El Paso and Taos

Jason and I headed up to El Paso on January 29th. We didn't get to go this past Thanksgiving because of our puppies, so we were ready when the end of January came along needless to say! It was a great time visiting with everyone; we even celebrated Christmas! Jason and I headed up to Taos, NM for a week of skiing that following Monday when everyone went back to work/school. We then got to spend the following weekend in El Paso again before heading back to Houston! Below are a lot of pictures from our trip.






Here we are at Carlos and Mickey's; one of our favorite places to go when we are in town. Their Texas Margaritas are fabulous!

Our first night in Taos we headed to Eske's Pub for some good food and locally brewed beer. Our bed and breakfast was right next to the historic plaza, so we walked to dinner every night (which was great b/c we didn't have to drive in the snow at night). Some of the art in Taos was so amazing as well; I was in awe of peoples' talents!

Tuesday morning we headed to the slopes for some skiing! It was a beautiful day with great weather. The snow was good quality; a little icy, but not bad at all.

This is a picture of a frozen waterfall off of one of the trails. You could see and hear the water still running behind the wall of ice. It was so peaceful and beautiful to watch.

Tuesday night we headed to Antonio's for some more great food. I ordered their 'signature dish' and it was great! It was the most interesting concoction I've ever had, but they did a great job.

Every night we'd come back from dinner and fix a fire to enjoy as we would wind down for the night. It was a real treat to enjoy.

It snowed all day on Wednesday which was just perfect! Fresh powder was falling everywhere which really made skiing great. The temps were good too, but at times the wind was way too much at the top of the mountain; Jason and I had to jump off the lift and hurry to the slope ASAP!

Wednesday night we went to Joseph's Table which was another wonderful dinner treat! We both had very interesting and excellent meals. One of the best parts of traveling I think is trying all the unique dishes I don't get (or take the time to try) back home.

We played in the snow a little on our walk back to the Inn :)

So Thursday was the best day of skiing all week (except our bodies were getting pretty tired by this time!). The snow had past and the clouds were low lying and meandering through the mountains. We'd be at the top of the mountains; sky crystal clear and see the clouds below us. So beautiful and peaceful. I am so thankful God has allowed me to witness such beauty He has created! This is one of the best parts of skiing I think. How some people can see this and question there is a God is beyond me.

After skiing on Thursday we stopped off at the Rio Grande Gorge. That was such a neat experience. In this northern area of New Mexico, the Rio Grande has created a canyon/gorge; similar to the Grand Canyon, only much smaller and narrower. Around 1965 they completed a bridge that allows the major highway system to continue despite this gorge. Jason and I stopped at the rest stop/visitor center and walked on over to the bridge in which they have created walkways on each side. We headed out despite our bodies trying to tell us this didn't feel so 'natural'. It was beautiful. About the time we got out half way we saw a semi-truck coming in the distance! As soon as he got his first tires on the bridge, the whole thing started to shake! He passed us and even after he completed his travel across, this 1/4 mile bridge was still shaking with us on it! It was really interesting to say the least.

Here are a few pictures I took from our Bed and Breakfast; La Posada de Taos.

On our way out on Friday, we stopped off at a beautiful church and took some pictures. We also stopped off at another part of the Rio Grande for some photo opps below.

Last, but not least, here are two pics taken from on top Transmountain in El Paso. You can see part of Juarez in the distance of the first one and then part of New Mexico in the second one.