Election Day is coming

And there are so many things to think about! Who is the best candidate? Are there any good candidates at all? Should we just pick the lesser of two evils? Who should we be considering while voting....ourselves, or the state/country as a whole? So many things to consider!

Our small group has been doing a lot of research on the candidates and thank the Lord that we have a WONDERFUL couple in our group that are extremely knowledgeable on how the government works and who does what within it. They have been a wealth of knowledge for all of us! As a group we have prayed much about the upcoming elections. We have asked the He show us who to vote for and we have also prayed for those currently in office. It is in the Bible that we need to pray for our government officials. God will never put anyone in office that isn't supposed to be there even if we don't understand it at the time!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (New International Version)

¹I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness

I have also seen MANY people say that they don't vote according to religious convictions. They vote according to the issues affecting our country now. Well, I have to say that "I" feel that if we don't vote according to what is right, good and holy, then how do we expect our country to flourish? A Godless country is one that is susceptible to failure. I think that our voting should have EVERYTHING to do with God's commands and what is right in His eyes. We need to see how these candidates voted when it comes to the definition of marriage, abortion and many other things. Do not get me wrong, I am ALL ABOUT fighting socialized medicine, fighting gun control, and many other things that threaten our nation. I think those are just as important as moral issues. I just pray that everyone who goes out to vote on Tuesday has done their homework and knows who they are voting for and why.

In the next two days, I urge everyone to pray with me. Pray hard that we are shown the direction we need to take. Pray that those who DO get into office do a good job at running our country. Pray Pray Pray.

Here is an interesting link that I found today while doing some research. It is very clearly in both the new and old testament showing that not only does it apply to people following very strict rules as in the old testament before the new covenant, but in the new testament as to how we are to live today.

Here is another great link.

I guess you learn something new everyday!

As Michaela has gotten older I have learned a few things about her. She is a lot like me. A lot more than even I expected her to be. She is extremely independent and wants to understand whats going on. "Because I said so" isn't a good enough reason to make her do something. She wants it to make sense in her head, too.

Her and I had been butting heads for weeks. I would punish and she would react negatively. I wondered if she was looking for attention even if it was negative since I was babysitting and three days a week much of my time is devoted to someone else's little girl. I couldn't understand why she was fighting me on the littlest things and why she was reverting back to an almost toddler-like reaction to things. She would occasionally lay on the floor and cry over things that she felt were unfair. It seemed so out of the norm for her as well as most other girls her age. I also realize that there are other big changes going on in our home. One of those big changes is, of course, our niece moving out onto her own. So I thought that maybe she just wasn't able to verbalize her feelings.

I decided one night to just pray. I just prayed that the Lord would show me how to parent her in a positive way. I asked that he show me how to react to her and how to speak to her. I wanted to know that I was doing the right thing by her and not somehow leaving a negative impact on her life. That was when He showed me what to do. I didn't realize it at the time, but sometime between when I said that prayer and the next day, He had opened up my eyes.

The next day we were set to begin on a new battle. She wasn't doing what I was asking her without a fight and it was like someone was speaking to me telling me to just explain myself to her. It was so clear in my mind. I needed to calmly call her over to me, explain what I wanted done and why it needed to be done. To my surprise......no argument! She wasn't thrilled about folding the laundry, but she did it. And to top it off, about thirty seconds after she started folding, she was totally over the irritation she had over it. She was smiling and doing the work without question or argument. I was amazed!

I know to some mothers, getting their kids to do chores without complaint might be simple. That is NOT the case here. I was constantly arguing and getting upset over their reactions. It was a battle more times than not to get them to do something that they felt was an inconvenience to them. I pray that most mothers don't have to go through this, but I know that I am asking waaayyy too much for that to happen.

So, for the last week, when I have needed Michaela for something, or want her to explain something to me, I have just calmly spoken to her without a raised voice, explained my situation and our results have been phenomenal! I have been waiting for this maturity for a long time and I realized that I needed to look at myself first. I needed to realize that I had to change my attitude and demeanor before I could EVER ask a seven year old to do so.

I am so thankful to have a heavenly Father who will answer me when it is prayed according to His will. I am in awe of every time He answers my prayers even when I don't deserve them. What an amazing God we serve!

Psalm 17:6
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.

D-Day

Tomorrow at 5pm is when we sign the lease. A six month commitment. Wish us luck! Janet is excited as are we!

Isn't it amazing?

I am always in awe when I see how things all come together when you trust that it will all happen according to God's plan and not ours. Many already know that we have had custody of our niece for five years. We have had MANY ups and downs along the way. She was 14 when she came to us and she will be 20 in two months! I can hardly believe that we made it this far! Originally we planned on keeping her with us until graduation and then we decided to keep her in an internship for an extra year. That was over in June. We have been job hunting ever since. Marvin and I have talked a lot about the next step and it just fell in our laps over the weekend! I told Janet to call about an apartment on Friday and we went and looked at it on Saturday and it was just what we were looking for! It is a small studio only about five minutes from our house. We can still be involved while letting her be an adult and on her own. She will be able to get to the grocery store on foot or on bike within just a few minutes and only about 10 minutes to bike to our house. She can still do her laundry here and I will be able to help her with her bills and some of the other things that she will need help with. It is first step of many and I am excited to take it!

Keep us in your prayers.

God is speaking and we are preparing our hearts to listen. I can't talk about it just yet as we are still deciding what to do, but please keep my family in your prayers on this journey God is taking us on.

Thank you and God bless!

Breaking Dawn.....why must you be so far away?