Emmanuel, "God with us"

It has been a long time since I've posted on our little blog. Mainly because I've been busy but also because I have started a journal and I'm putting a lot of my thoughts there. But, I feel that there are certain things that the Lord is calling me to share.

Funny how when I started this blog I didn't intend for it to be all about God. But, the Lord had other plans. He has captivated my heart and He is what I have to talk about. He is what I want to talk about. He is the one doing miraculous things in my life. I could talk about trips, recipes, and all of that but what will that matter when this life ends? (Please note that I'm all for awesome trips and recipes and in fact will probably try and start posting more about everything on the blog...) Today though, I want to share what God has laid on my heart.

Last night we worshiped at the Kari Job #majestictour concert. To say that it was amazing would not do it justice. The presence of God was so real, so awesome, so powerful that it was almost hard to breathe and I could literally feel my heart longing for the Lord, aching to be home with Him in heaven. Michael and I have talked about what it will be like in Heaven recently. In fact, we talked about it just this week before the concert. I think God answered our question last night becuase I truly feel that we got a glimpse of Heaven. Below is a picture that I'm going to keep to remind me how awesome it was.

Not wanting to forget last night I started thinking about how we, as humans, have a very short-lived memory. Miracles happen all the time. We praise God for them and then we move on with our lives forgetting how powerful that moment in time was and worrying about how WE will handle the next problem. I picture God pleading with us, weeping with us to turn back to Him. It seems so simple yet it is our human nature to do the very opposite. Kari talked about that she saw the Son of God movie the day before and as she sat there she thought about how real Jesus was. Just as real as me and you. Yes, we all know that but I think we lose our passion sometimes forgetting what He has done here on Earth. We tend to move on with things in life and later they become a memory and we lose the intensity of those feelings.

An example of this was just last year when my brother was in California and was hospitalized quickly. The doctors told him he had a flesh eating virus and that they would have to go in and do surgery with a couple of possible outcomes: 1) they could get it before it spread 2) they would have to cut such a large portion of it out that he would be disfigured or 3) that it could have already spread to his organs and the it was possible that he wouldn't make it. The phone call that night was surreal. I hung up the phone and hung on to Michael, pleaded with God, cried, got on my knees, called friends, family. I was so desperate for God to heal my baby brother. He went into surgery and they were able to remove it. It hadn't spread, he wasn't disfigured and he was alive. I swore to myself and to God that day that I would never forget His faithfulness and His miracle. I wrote in my journal, "I am marking this as a true God moment because I know as time passes it will seem less like a miracle. But it was." Below is a picture of my brother and I after he returned home from California.

I've found that God can use the situation that is most painful for you and turn it into good. My pain point is also my proof point and reminds me that He is faithful and how much he loves us! The fact that we can forget what God has done for us is crazy yet so natural for us. It reminds me of Deuteronomy 8 after the Lord has delivered the Israelites through the 40 years in the wilderness. God knows how fragile we are and how easy it is to forget the amazing things he has done for us. He warns,

“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’
Deuteronomy 8:11-17

Experiences like worship last night are real... as real as God delivering the Israelites out through the wilderness. I asked God this morning (thinking about last night's concert), "Why can't every day be like that" and his answer was "Oh but Rachel, dear child, it can". God is not the one who leave us. It's us that leaves Him. The ultimate sacrifice has been paid, the veil is torn! We have access and stand in the presence of the Lord... it's our hearts, our focus that has to change. Only then can we experience the His amazing presence. You see, it's HIS name that is Emmanuel, "God with us". Wow!

My prayer for you today is that the Lord will consume and captivate your heart as He has mine. I hope you are a light today in this dark world and keep your focus on the cross. If you don't know Jesus I'd love to share with you what he has done in my life and how much he loves you and longs for your heart. Message me if you feel that He is working in your heart. What an even sweeter day it could be!

In His Love,
R.

You only have to be silent...

(And Moses said to the people), “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV)

What a great reminder during my quiet time this morning. We shouldn't be afraid of what the adversary is doing in our lives because God is so much more mighty and powerful. Moses told this to the Israelites before God parted the Red Sea that killed the Egyptian army coming after them.

God asks us to stand firm in our faith and watch to see what he will do. Take heart! He will fight for you... and you only have to be silent. Wow! What a blessing. Hit me like a brick this morning. So thankful for this promise.

The Virtuous Wife - A trustful heart & the freedom we have through Christ

Okay guys... my apologies for being so horrible with being timely on the blog! This post below I have had saved in drafts for about two months and it was 3/4 complete I just never had time to finish it ... until now! And so continues the Proverbs 31 series. Sorry it's taking so long! More to come about anniversary trip, fall recipes, etc! Thanks for your patience!!

It's September 6th (again sorry for the delay... it is now October 25th) which means it's one month until Michael and I's one year anniversary and my second Proverbs 31 deep dive blog post. For those of you who may have missed out on the first one you can read it here - (A Virtuous Wife - "a woman of strength"). I've decided to re-read and dive into Proverbs 31 to remind myself of what being a virtuous wife really means and to keep myself accountable.

The verse I'm focusing on today is:

"The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain." Proverbs 31:11(NKJV)

I've been thinking a lot about this verse over the last month. It's a beautiful verse for sure but what does it mean? Other translations always seem to help a bit so I've listed them below.

"Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value." (NIV)

"Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life." (NLT)

"The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain." (ESV)


I tend to favor the NKJV and the NLT versions because I think they most accurately depict what the author is trying to portray. And just who is the author anyway? King Solomon wrote the majority of Proverbs but King Lemuel is thought to have written Proverbs 31. The funny thing is that no one is sure who King Lemuel is and many think that he was a fictional character that Solomon used and that Solomon himself may have written Proverbs 31 or maybe even Solomon's mother which would have been Queen Bathsheba. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs when he was at the height of his power. Perhaps, his mother had some words of wisdom for him so he wouldn't make the same mistakes his father, King David, made? Who knows. I am just specultating. But one thing I do think for sure is that a woman wrote Provers 31.

Back to the verse. :) The reason I favor the NKJV and the NLT versions is because of the key word in them - trust. I truly believe that this is the root of a marriage and any relationship for that matter. I've found that it's can be easier for a woman to trust and open her heart than a man. I decided to do a little research of my own and try to be sneaky so I asked Michael one day, "Why do you trust me?". He thought I was crazy and said, "I don't know Rach, I just do". That's a man for ya isn't it? But to be honest a lot of times men don't know why they open up that spot in their heart and begin to fully trust you. He also proceeded to say, "You've never given me a reason not to." Now we come to the reasoning of a man's brain. :) Women tend to think and act on how they feel and their emotions while men are much more reasonable and think about facts and what they can justify. Neither way is wrong & both have it's pros and cons... we are just very different.

So when I think of why he trusts me (and I'm probably overanalyzing like most of us tend to do) I think it's because I have been there for him. I'm there in the good times and the bad. I ask questions that tug at his heart strings and sometimes make him discuss the hard stuff. In the end, I think it does us both good because he gets things off of his chest and I get to know what's on his heart. He knows that he can come home from a bad day and tell me anything and his secret and the secrets of his heart are safe with me. That's how he "safely" trusts me like the verse says. Some women I've known tell everything about what's going on in their relationships and while I think it's wonderful to have girlfriends and discuss your marriages and relationships I also think a marriage is supposed to be intimate and precious so I hold many things close to my heart that I don't share with anyone. There are private things that I only know about Michael and he only knows about me. We talk about our problems to each other not to everyone else... not even my mom although I must admit that is hard. :) But I've found that when we communicate with each other and sit down to discuss things we end up solving it within 5 minutes and the rest of the night is snuggles and laughter! So, ladies, I encourage you to communicate with your husbands, boyfriends and in any relationship you have. Communication and keeping things personal are key to trust, especially for a man.

The verse also says in the NLT version that she "will greatly enrich his life". Now, this I hope I am doing but I think it wouldn't be as easy to do if he wasn't enriching mine. I'm so thankful and so blessed to be in a marriage that works two ways. My favorite place in the whole world is to be at home with Michael. I think that my happiness naturally enriches his life because I am happy and willing to do the things that enrich his. I don't think it's always about doing things like having dinner ready or laundry done, but what I really have noticed is my personal state affects him. If I haven't been in the word and I am stressed out, he is stressed out. If there is something not right with me, there is something not quite right with him. It is so important for me to focus on my relationship with God first in order to enrich my life and his. This also works two ways. First and foremost, it's about your personal relationship with Christ. That is the key to true fullfillment and joy. Happiness is fleeting but joy is constant and our Savior provides that to anyone who is willing to accept it. So, I lean on God to be joyful in my home so that Michael will see that and after first leaning on God, he can also lean on me as well.

Enriching his life is more than being the best cook (THANK GOODNESS!)... although I think this cake for his last birthday turned out pretty good!

I'm doing this Proverbs 31 series because I think it's important for us to know these attributes that God finds precious about us. However, one thing I didn't realize until last night when I attended the Abingdon Women speakers at our church and heard Kim Dunnam Reisman speak event was that Proverbs 31 wasn't written for instruction. We (and I mean especially ME) have turned it in to a "to-do" list. It's meant to be an ode to women, not a list that we have to live up to. It bogs me down and makes me exhausted just thinking about doing everything this women did. But you know what? It doesn't tell us about her hard days does it? The days that she thinks she can't go on and she can't possibly do one more thing. But I think it sums it up nicely at the end. No matter what she does or how "perfect" she seems to be... it doesn't matter to God. What truly matters is that she fears the Lord. That's why she is praised. Not because she's the best wife, mother, philanthropist, etc.

One thing I'm realizing more and more is that I truly am free in Christ. I can read His word and strive to live up to those things that will glorify Him but at the end of the day I don't need to beat myself up and neither do you. I'm going to leave you with 2 things.

1) You are beautiful, smart, love and cherished by the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the name above all names. A friend of mine shared this video with me and I think you'll like it. Ladies, this is what God feels for you regardless of how "perfect" you are (thank goodness)!

Click here to see the video!

2) A verse that has been on my heart. We are free in Christ and I hope you can live that way today!

"But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."
Romans 7:6

I promise the next blog will come sooner rather than later and to speed things up a bit I'm going to do verses 12-15. Until next time.

In our sweet & precious Savior,
Rachel

Sign. Sealed. Delivered.

I'm so excited to announce the our investment house is officially SOLD! There was a lot of hard work put into this house. Congratulations are in order! :) 

I am so incredibly proud of my husband. Not only for his work ethic but also for his passion... for what he does, for his family, his girls (Bella and Chloe... More on who Chloe is a little later this week), friends and most importantly his passion for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I told Mike recently that I have seen God working so much in his life (and in my own)... It is truly a blessing. My heart is full of joy. There is nothing more attractive to me than seeing my husband lead our family and love on me & our girls. Now, that is what I call sexy! :) 

I love you more and more everyday Michael Jacques. Just thought you should know. 

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3 

Love, 

Rach

Simply Be

It has been quite some time since I have posted on the ole blog... about a month to be exact. Where has the time gone? It seems like I am always so busy running from point A to point B, checking off things on the "to-do" list, making sure Michael and Bella have food to eat so they don't starve... okay that was a little dramatic but you know what I mean. It seems like our culture is all about doing more and being more and that the busier we are, the more successful or productive we will be and feel. I am 100% guilty of this as I suffer from the "can't say no" over-commitment complex. I stay busy because I don't know how to simply just be.

I recently took a trip to Palm Springs, CA to see my brother. It was absolutely gorgeous. Stunning mountain views, palm trees, and the breeze was incredible. Here's a picture of my view each morning. Here's a picture of my brother, Jake, and I. Trust me, the coffee tasted better with this view. :)

They say the mountains that surround Palm Springs provide a sense of spiritual healing. The energy there is hard to describe. The way of life even more indescribable. I wasn't over concerned with checking emails, running errands and planning out our vacation for 2014... I simply enjoyed what God had given me... what was right in front of me. And everyone there seemed to be doing the same thing! I had a bit of culture shock. Although, I've been to California before it felt different this time. Maybe I noticed the smaller things or maybe God was pointing them out to me. Let me show you what I mean.

While we were visiting Laguna Beach for the day, I watched this lady (in the 2nd picture above) stroll along the street wit her dog and come up to this little shop to get her gourmet cheeses and perhaps dinner for the night. (I was enjoying my gelato in the same shopping complex that she came into... I have a weird obsession with gelato and people-watching for that matter). She brought her adorable dog with her because, well, they all bring their dogs everywhere. He sat there and patiently waited on his owner to come out from the shop. Not tied to a leash, or anything. I thought this was pretty cool so I snapped a picture. I liked sitting there and picturing what her life must be like. Even if she did the same things I did during a normal week (which I can bet she doesn't), she sure looked like she was enjoying her day and living in the moment. And even the dog seemed different. He seemed at peace and enjoying his life too. We saw more dogs on the beach and they had the same look. Relaxed and taking it all in. Wouldn't it be neat if we could do this every day? Here are a couple more pictures from Laguna.

Next is our experience at the Mexican restaurant. See below!

This is a picture from a fabulous Mexican Restaurant off the main strip in Palm Springs. It was a neat Mexican restaurant that seemed like it was inside but although it had walls, it was all open sky. And the live music put everyone in a great mood. I SO WISH I would have snapped a picture of the lady I'm about to tell you about. She seemed to be in her 70's... maybe even early 80's. She had white hair, a thin frame and wore a smile that made you want to know more about her. She was dancing with a tall, thin, young guy with dark black hair. He was Hispanic. My brother, my mom and I couldn't stop watching them. At first we thought maybe he worked there and was being nice to dance with her. But then they went back to a table and proceeded to talk and laugh before getting up to dance to the next song. We couldn't figure out the situation but it didn't matter. What mattered is that she was having a night to remember. She was enjoying every bit of it. The air, the music and her gentleman. How often do I take my nights for granted? Too often to count. This lady left a lasting impression on me.

And last is Jaclyn - the ranch owner from Morango Valley. Jaclyn moved out West after a divorce in 1986. She raised her kids in the dessert of Morango Valley and has built herself a lovely place with mountains and desserts as her scenery. But let's not forget the 30+ horses, 50+ chickens, 3 dogs and cat that she feeds every single day. She runs the entire ranch by herself. On top of that, she gives horse rides for tourists (like us) where she welcomes them into her world for 3 hours of bliss. This was no tourist adventure, let me tell you. As we rode along the mountainside it was so peaceful and I couldn't help to think what her life was like either. Simple. Beautiful. And more than anything enjoyable. She loves what she does and truly lives life to the fullest each day. What an inspiration! Here are so more pictures of us riding horses. This was incredible!

These 3 women, among other moments I experienced while in California, got me thinking about how I don't take the time to truly enjoy life like they did. Whether it be culture thing or a personal thing, there are no excuses. We control what we control and I know that what I can control is my priorities and my schedule for the most part. A great friend of mine left me with an email ending in this quote below.

“What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what gets you out of bed in the mornings, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”
Pedro Arrupe (1907-1991)

I don't think I need to add anything to this beautiful quote. I'll simply say this...

I think this is something we all struggle with today. From elaborate weddings, showers and events that we feel like we have to plan, trips we feel like we need to take, constant home improvement projects, striving to keep up with trends in clothing, social media, and the like... what are we living for? I don't know about you, but I'm really kind of tired of it. I feel that I'm in my happiest place when I have time to sit on the back porch with Michael and Bella and feel the wind and sun on my face, when there is nothing on the "to-do" list and I've had time to mediate on things that are most important in my life. Most importantly, when I've spend time in God's word and he is teaching me what pure joy and peace truly looks like. It's then that I can really seize the day and really live.

My happy place. :)

I am determined to simply be and I hope you all can find time to do the same.

Love,
R&M

Tea Cup Theology

I am reading such a wonderful book that I wanted to share with you.

I am a part of a Women's Christian Book Club that some girlfriends and I started about 2 months ago. We are meeting once a month and doing brunch, chatting about girly things, prayer requests and discussing our book. The first book we chose wasn't that great so last meeting we decided to start over. We picked "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow.

What an awesome choice! I am only mid-way through Chapter 2 and I am already in love with it. Last night I literally turned off my Kindle and said, "Wow" out loud.

One thing from the first chapter that I really loved was her analogy of each woman being like their very own special tea cup (hence her paragraph title, "Teacup Theology").

Picture credit: http://www.handmadepotteryart.com

Some may be dainty with lace pattern trim, others may be bold with funky patterns and some may just be plain and solid as a rock... unbreakable. We are all designed differently. And each tea cup also holds a different amount or portion. God knows exactly what we need to fill our cup. What I have in my cup will look different than what my friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers have in their cups. The cool thing about it is that God fills our cup with our portion. He knows best and knows what we can handle. So instead of wishing to be like another cup and have what the other cups may be holding, we need to learn to trust God and be content with what he has given us.

I know right? Easier said than done. Even Jesus asked for a different portion in his cup in the Garden of Gethsemane (when was praying to God about his crucifixion)

"And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39

But later when he went away again and prayed he said, "...My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." Matthew 26:42

So how can we expect to do this? Just like Jesus did. By taking our cup handle and lifting it up to God. After all, every tea cup has a handle. And I am so, so thankful that through the blood of Jesus, we do.

I am so looking forward to continuing this journey to contentment with this book, God, and some good girlfriends! I can't wait to finish reading and I'll definitely share more. Hope everyone is having a great start to Holy Week and is focusing on the cross... the one thing that truly matters in this world.

Love,
R & M

Weekend Recap:

A birthday, volunteering, Mexican, a movie review, a great sermon and a visit to see two of our favorite people.

Friday
We celebrated my dad's 59th birthday (I cannot believe my dad is almost 60 years old... I still picture my parents at that 35-40ish age) with sushi on Friday night. It was so much fun! Always love great sushi and time with our parents. I truly believe that spending time with both sets of parents is important for your marriage. It's funny how you love spending time with your parents when you're young, then you are too cool for your parents and when you get older love spending time with them again. We are blessed to have great parents on both sides. We love you!

Picture of us and our parents at our wedding from left to right: my mom & dad, me, Michael, and his mom & dad.


Saturday
I am starting to volunteer with Streetdog Foundation. We had volunteer orientation on Saturday morning followed by an Adoption Day Event and I can't tell you how excited I am! If you aren't familiar with Streetdog foundation rescues, rehabilitates, and re-homes stray and abandoned dogs in Memphis, TN. These dogs are so appreciative of any affection, attention and love that they receive. It makes it so worth while. I can't wait to get more involved with volunteer opportunities. There are so many ways to help out!

Definitely check them out on their website and on Facebook.

After volunteer orientation a girlfriend and I decided to make the most of this January patio weather. If you haven't tried Mi Pueblo near the Paradiso, it's a must. They have such a cool atmosphere, great food and yummy drinks... not to mention an awesome patio that over looks Poplar area. We were in the mood for something different so we got their frozen Strawberry margaritas! They were pretty and delish.

Check out their happy hour. It's .99 domestic drafts and $1.99 margaritas!

Saturday night ended with a movie and some ice cream with my two favorites (Mike and Bella, of course). We rented the Bourne Legacy from Redbox and although we enjoyed the ice cream and each other's company... it was a pretty pointless 2 hours. I'd rate it a 5 on a scale of 1-10. The viewers via Rotten Tomatoes seem to agree.

Say yes to ice cream but no to The Bourne Legacy.

Sunday
Sunday morning we did our weekend routine and had coffee, eggs and bacon and got ready for church. It felt good to be back at church after 2 weeks of not being able to go. The sermon was fantastic. It was about God's covenant with each of us individually. I definitely learned some things. One of my favorite things that our pastor said on Sunday is that God gives specific symbols that we are supposed to carry as Christians. He said, "You only have one second to be Christ for someone" meaning that in our interactions with people, we should posses the qualities of Christ. You never know what your kind actions or encouraging words can do for someone. Click here to check it out.

The end of our weekend was definitely the toughest. Michael's sweet grandmother, nanny, who I have come to love as my own, is very sick in the hospital with Pancreatic cancer and we went to visit her on Sunday afternoon. She was only diagnosed about a week ago and went through one chemo treatment. She is now not responsive and they are transferring her to hospice. It is so hard to see those that we love like that. However, if her quality of life is diminished Michael and I both are glad that she will be with the Lord soon. After all to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and there is nothing greater than that. We also went to visit DD, nanny's husband, who is at Methodist Hospice. He has been there since Thanksgiving and has been eating and doing relatively well. Our hope is that the Lord will give us comfort and peace during this time. Please pray for our family. Nanny and DD are both such a special part of it and we are all grieving.

Love,
R & M

Everyday you can choose.

One of my favorites songs lately is "Steal My Show" by Toby Mac. You may have heard this on KLove recently. It's a really catchy song and easy to sing to. It also puts you in a good mood just listening to it BUT I took the time to really listen to it this morning and I can't stop thinking about the lyrics. One of my favorite parts comes at the end of the song. Here it is below.

No matter who we are, no matter what we do
Every day we can choose to say ...

If You wanna steal my show, I'll sit back and watch You go
If You got somethin' to say, go on and take it away
Need You to steal my show, can't wait to watch You go
So take it away

My life
My friends
My heart
It's all Yours, God
Take it away
My dreams
My fears
My family
My career
Take it away
Take it away
It's all Yours, God
Take it away
Take it away
It's You I wanna live for

In K Love's Behind the Music Toby explains that the song is about giving your life over to God. Toby says, “I was putting my five-year-old to bed one night and he said, ‘Daddy, how can you steal a show?’ I said, ‘Well if like four bands play one night and they just kill it, they stole the show,” Toby shares. “So he said, ‘Why would you be asking someone to steal your show?’ and I explained to him, ‘Dad’s asking God to take his show and do something bigger. Dad’s asking God to steal his show.’”

How awesome is that? So many times I find myself thinking I'm in charge and that I've worked hard for things that I have when in reality it's all God's. God has provided for me. What's so awesome about it is that God can take away any of those things (my life, friends, heart, dreams, fears, family, career)and I would be okay because He is all I need. And more than that if I let Him steal my show how incredible could it be? He fills any want and longing in my life and I truly want to glorify Him in all I do. These lyrics are so powerful to me. What I want to remember and what I wish everyone could take away is this simple: EVERDAY WE CAN CHOOSE. We can choose to give the day to God or get caught up the activities of the day. We can choose to spend time in prayer and in the word every morning or we can get busy and rush to work half empty. We can chose how we live our lives. Who are we really living for?

For the full song lyrics visit K love: http://www.klove.com/music/artists/tobymac/songs/steal-my-show-lyrics.aspx

Here it is on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=149eaHcrPHA

What will you choose today?