I'm back! :) Timothy has had some unexpected time off work over the last few weeks, and when he's home, other things get done, but blogging doesn't. :)

Anyway, in explanation of my previous post, we are trying - make that God is trying - to change the whole focus of our lives. We are both reading "Radical" for the second time, and it is just as gripping and convicting as the first time. Not to elevate the book too much, but the content of the book is very biblical. Unfortunately, sometimes I think it's easy for us to assume that God has changed his overall purpose for the Christian life since he called the disciples to "leave everything" and "follow Him". After all, we're in America, and a certain lifestyle, income level, house, vehicle, etc. is to be expected - basically a "necessity"...right?? We're supposed to plan for the future...thus our 401(k) must be full...right? We need "our time" and "our space"...right?? (Umm...if you're a mommy you do!! lol) So....how do we balance all of this with Christ's commands to "give up everything, take up our cross, and follow Him"? That's what we're trying to establish in our lives right now. It's SOOO easy to get caught up - extremely caught up! - in the "American Dream".

And it's so much more than money! Our time, for instance. Wow...we are extremely selfish with that!! I totally don't even realize how much until I go through my day thinking about how I use it! And then I think about eternity, and the literally billions of people who don't know Christ - not to mention those who haven't even heard of Him! How exactly are we going to get around His commands to take care of the widowed and the fatherless, the poor, the sick, etc.? I'm afraid the truth is - we aren't!

And this is only a brief summary of what's going on in our heads and hearts right now. For more, read the book!! ;) So, what are we going to do about it?? Not totally sure - but one thing we have established, we don't want to "hear and walk away" without changing. Our lives - not to mention our children's! - depends on what we do with this. I don't think there's another option. We can settle for "nominal Christianity" (ya know, where we go to church three times a week, put 10% in the offering plate, and live the rest of our lives and spend the rest of our money for "us".) and risk losing our own spiritual lives, plus the hearts of our precious children. Or we can get serious about this.

Not much has been left out. We've talked about where God wants us - is that here or maybe in another country? We've talked about what God wants us to do - short mission trips? foster care? adoption? international adoption? etc. etc. We've talked about what we can do right now while we wait... all of which frankly scares me a little, and excites me a lot. :)

Now, Satan has also apparently been made aware of our plans. Not to give him ANY credit, but he has fought super hard - especially the last few weeks. Our marriage, our finances, our focus - he's not going to let this go without a fight. But with God's help, we want to find and follow what a "radical life of Christian discipleship" looks like for our family!

Changes...

Our home is in the middle of a lot of changing...all good! (and no, we're NOT pregnant!!) God is using His Word, along with some messages we've watched and a book we've read, to seriously change our direction as a family - or maybe simply CREATE a direction! I've changed the mechanics of my blog, but soon the content will probably be changing some as well. I'll still definitely be posting pics and giving family updates, but I'm hoping to let you in on what's happening on a deeper level in our home. Stay tuned! Gotta get ready for church now. Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

Anticipating Spring!

So, I didn't step foot out of the house until the snow was beginning to melt. :) We finally got out Friday - Taco Bell and Wal-mart never looked so good! lol Here's some snow pile pictures... and a few of the kids.

Snow out our window...




















Horrible roads...




Snow piles...





Bundled up...















Hadlee & Tanner watching a DVD...







































Yes, we're ready for SPRING!!! Tired of snow, tired of being stuck in the house, tired of having to bundle up... :)

In other news, Tanner has decided he loves food! :) He can put away 5+ "Gerber 2nd foods" packs a day! But he also thinks he should be able to feed himself, as is aptly illustrated below.




Have a good Monday, everyone!

Update soon...

I know, I know! I said I'd be back soon with "snow pics". But Timothy didn't work at all this week, and when Daddy's home, it just tends to throw the whole schedule off. I think with the extra help, I just relax TOO much. :) Anyway, he's working today, but I've got catch-up to do! WILL be back soon with some pics!! Later...