Lead me from Tempation

Lord God, Please give me the wisdom to recognize temptations. Help me to run away as fast and as far as possible from the things that tempt me. And when I run, let me run to You. Amen.

So, small update on the adoption: met with the lawyer on Monday and that went really well. I like her a lot and I am excited about having her help with this situation. Birth mom is still MIA, and communication with the family is non-existent right now. This is a huge leap of faith, because at any moment this whole thing could unravel. But I have a deep sense of peace and calm, which only comes from the Lord and I know in my heart, one way or another we will have a child.

Still, I am concerned about my lack of energy and enthusiasm. Sure, I'm dealing with a terrible cold right now and feel like I've been run over by a truck, but I mean even before that. Since we found out about the adoption I have been a little sad. I think it's because of my inability to get pregnant. I love adoption, and Robert and I were interested in adopting before we even knew we would have fertility issues. Still, it just makes me sad that I can't get pregnant.

I am starting Clomid this cycle, and while I am positive that I'm not pregnant, my period is still hesitating to start, and normally I just guess what the first day is, but I really need to be sure and choose accurately because of the medication. On the other hand, starting a day early may help everything to progress, because research shows that the earlier Clomid is taken in a cycle, the better the effect. So, we'll see.

My house is a mess, which lets me know something is wrong with me internally. I am still going back and forth about returning to school. My life is back to being topsy turvy with no clear direction. It's like I'm holding my breath for the next 3 months to see if I'm going to have a baby nor not. I can't afford to lose 3 months on my original plan, but if I continue as if we don't have children, and then poof here's a baby- well, I need to be prepared for that too. God help me, please.

Please pray for me. I need it.

God Bless,

Lynette

Blessed are the Faithful

God, I know that Your will and Your timing are perfect. Forgive me for the times when I try to force Your will into my timetable. Help me to wait patiently on You. Amen.

Wow. So I am still reeling from the news of a baby in need of adoptive parents. For 3 years I prayed and waited on the Lord to provide a child, and when He didn't I finally decided to lay it down and pursue another direction in my life. And then poof!

I always thought I would be so excited and happy that I would transform into a perfect believer and follower of Christ. It sounds crazy, but I honestly thought it would happen just like that. While I am incredibly over-joyed at the blessing the Lord has given me, I have been far from perfect since we found out about the baby.

I know the time of the month has a lot to do with it, but I feel really bad that I haven't spent more time in the Word, more time in prayer, more time with Him, thanking Him for everything He has blessed us with! There is no excuse, and I am really bothered by my selfish, fleshly actions at a time like this.

I have all the faith in Him that our adoption will go smoothly, and that this child is meant for us. I know it in my heart this is our child that God created for me and Robert to be the parents of. I love him or her so much already. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I pray I come out of my funk soon so I don't disappoint God anymore.

Father, it is only by Your grace that I am saved. Thank You for Your unconditional love that covers my sin. Amen.

Ask and you shall receive

"My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren has born seven; and she that has many children is waxed feeble. The Lord kills, and makes alive: He brings down to the grave, and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich: He brings low, and lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and He has set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed." 1Samuel 2:1b-10

This is Hannah's prayer of Thankfulness to the Lord when she bore her son Samuel whom she prayed for. I can totally relate to how Hannah feels, because God is giving me a baby also! We just found out last night that there is a soon-to-be born child that needs us to be his or her parents! THANK YOU JESUS! I am still in awe of your amazing blessing! I couldn't ask for anything more!

So I have 3 months to prepare for this baby! Woohoo! I have already started my baby registry online :) It was a lot of fun! Next up is painting the nursery and setting up the crib...I see a Youtube video in our near future! LOL Robert is going to be an amazing Dad, not to mention hilarious!

The power of the Word

"Father, when times of sorrow and grief surround me, I take comfort in knowing that You will never give me more than I can handle. Thank You for being my strength in times of suffering. Amen."

Ugh. I am having a really bad day...well, I should say I was having a really bad day. So, I was able to pick up Robert's truck last night so I could finally have a vehicle to drive, and ALL four tires need to be replaced like last week! O.K., so I drive down to the tire shop and let me just tell you that buying tires is a rip-off. I couldn't believe how much they charged me, I only had enough for two tires. Oh, by the way- when I got to the tire shop my husband tells me that he never put the new tag on the truck- yay! I'm driving with an expired tag. Crying ensues, but I quickly pull myself together as I pull into the parking lot.

Why was I crying? Well, I haven't slept well for the last week because of everything going on with my car. Despite my best efforts this dilemma is stressing me. But at the same time, I am leaning on the Lord for strength and comfort, and our relationship is improving every day. His love for me is unbelievable and He reminds me of that love just when I need it most :) So, I was just feeling overwhelmed and angry and wanted to cry; O.K, I did cry a little.

As I was driving home, I prayed that I would not be pulled over by a police officer and be given a citation for the expired tag. Thankfully, I arrived home safely, and I even drove right by a Georgia State Patrol. God is Great. I also prayed on the way home that I could really just give all of this stress over the car up to Him, completely trusting that He is going to work it all out perfectly for me, and I won't have to do a thing but wait. Then I went to the Dollar Tree and got some retail therapy in. I feel better. I even cleaned the house, so my husband will be happy when he gets home from work.

I am leaving in a minute to help a friend with a children's class of Christ Centered Yoga. I am subbing for her next week, so I am learning the ropes tonight. The Lord turned my day and attitude around when I came to Him and asked for help. Thank you Jesus!

I know my Redeemer lives;

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, He lives, who once was dead;

He lives, my ever living Head.

He lives triumphant from the grave,

He lives eternally to save,

He lives all glorious in the sky,

He lives exalted there on high.

He lives and grants me daily breath;

Hel lives, and I shall conquer death:

He lives my mansion to prepare;

He lives to bring me safely there.

- Samuel Medley

Jesus is NOT too good to be true!

Jesus is NOT too good to be true! Amen! Praise the Lord! I think all of us at one time or another have believed a lie and realized after the fact that it was indeed too good to be true. Besides Jesus, the only thing I can think of that qualifies is a real friend, they are too good, but if they are real- then they are true!

I have been studying the women in Genesis, and am currently reading the story of Dinah. She was raped by a Prince, and her brothers avenged her defilement through deceit and trickery. Their victims fell for a "too good to be true" peace offering, which cost them their lives. The lesson to be learned from this is that especially in hard times, we need to seek God in prayer and wait on Him to direct our steps.

Former President Dwight Eisenhower's mother gave him incredible advice as a child, "Take those bad hands (cards) without complaining and play them out. Ask God to help you, and you will win the important game called life." It really takes the sting out of tribulations when you compare them to a card game. My current struggle is unreliable transportation. I have been blessed with a great car for the past 8 years, but for the last 2 weeks, the car has been in and out of the repair shop, and is currently stuck in my driveway. It has been very frustrating for me to be stranded at the house, and of course I have multiple appointments scheduled that must be canceled at the last minute, etc. But I just think my next hand will be better than this, and remind myself that God is still in control.

A major positive to come out of this ordeal is that I know I have many awesome friends who are so kind to me, and offer to help me! It has truly touched my heart, and I am so thankful for them and to God for finally answering my prayers about friendships. He is truly a God who hears.

Christ Centered Yoga

God's secret plan has been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to His good pleasure. Ephesians 1:9

HEARING THE WORD OF GOD:

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." Matthew 2:11&12

RESPONDING TO THE WORD OF GOD:

"Father, as we begin a new year, we are hopeful of changes. Remind us, through your Word, that encountering you often means a change of direction - literally and /or figuratively. Thank you for guiding us and for changing us from the inside out. Amen."

We enter a new year and a new decade with hopes and dreams of change. We desire change; at least external ones, but what about internal change: That kind of change can only be brought about by the Holy Spirit.

When the wise men found what they were searching for - the Christ child - they bowed down and worshiped Him. They they gave Him their best, their treasures. God then warned them in a dream not to return to Herod but to leave the country by another route. God cahnged their direction, literally.

When you seek God with all your heart, He promises you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When we encounter the Living God, we are forever changed. This change may manifest itself physically, mentally and/or spiritually, but the change will be undeniable.

What change do you desire this year? Physical change? Emotional change? Spiritual change? Have you sought God in this change: IF so, how has He changed you or the direction of your life? May we continually seek Him who so graciously allows us to find Him.

ASANA (POSE): Supta Padangusthasana/(Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe-Pose)

Encountering God will change us - our direction in life, how we see others, the world around us, etc. We change how we look at forward folds during our practice this week. We do this by coming into Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose and letting it speak to us about the state of our hamstrings: are we able to make a 90 degree angle between our extended leg and our torso, without bending at the knee. If not, we may be vulnerable to lower back strain in forwards folds, such as Paschimottanasana. Instead, allow the change in the hamstrings to occur over time, by consistently working on Supta Padangusthasana with a strap. We ask God to change us from the inside out.

Becky Martin is the founder of Christ Centered Yoga and she wrote this "illuminated practice". Christian Yoga is a controversial topic, and I am not going to get into all of that tonight, but if you have any questions please write to me and I will do my best to answer them!

May God Bless you and keep you safe- until tomorrow...Lynette

Thank you God for unanswered prayers!

Ok, since this is my first blog EVER I will have to take some time and explain who I am and why I am doing this...

THE PAST

When I started high school at 14 years old, I wanted a boyfriend like most of my friends. I thought it was up to me to find my Prince Charming and create my happily ever after ending. Fast forward to age 17 and as I was reflecting on how truly blessed I was to have a mom who was home with me every afternoon after school, I decided I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Ok, so then I blink and I'm in college and have a baby-sitting job for a family that home-school their children. I do extensive research on the home-schooling lifestyle for Sociology class. You see where this is leading? Yes, I decided I wanted to home-school my kids...now all I needed was a husband :)

MY PRESENT

After 3 1/2 years of marital bliss to my husband who was God-sent to me, I am closer to 30 than 20, and no closer to being a mom. OK, now what?

Whether you are a man or woman, Christ-follower or non-believer, we have all as people had dreams and made wishes about our futures. But what happens when our lives don't turn out how we wished, prayed, worked 80 hours a week to achieve, etc.? For me, I got angry, bitter, resentful, withdrawn, and downright pitiful! And up until last week I was also miserable :)

What was my breakthrough? The Bible. Specifically Psalm 37:3-7, "Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

See, Jesus is telling me that if I trust in Him and follow Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. I can know without a doubt that He will grant my prayers and bless me. All I have to do is wait patiently for His blessing, and not get mad at others who have what I want. Yeah right! I was not doing this AT ALL! I was very upset about not being able to conceive, and I certainly envied women and girls who were getting pregnant all around me!

But the Lord never left my side, and He waited patiently until I finally accepted that He is the author of Life and I was never going to have a baby while I was trying to get pregnant on my own. So I prayed for His direction for my life, and he opened up the doors for me to become a certified Christ Centered Yoga Instructor, to go back to school to get my Master's Degree, and an employment opportunity. Praise Him!

Oh and by the way, after my two-year commitment to Christ Centered Yoga is completed in December 2011, we are moving to Colorado Springs! Why? Because we have never lived out West, and we just love the idea of skiing every weekend. Remember the dreams I was talking about earlier? Mine was always to live in an urban community, to reside in a fully furnished swanky downtown loft apartment, and take weekend trips to California. Never in a million years did I think that life would ever be mine...then again I never thought I would be this age without children- God works in mysterious ways.

Objective: Find joy in everyday life, and Glorify the Lord through my decisions

Obstacles: Going back to school, starting a new job, and buying another car!

Time-line: January 16, 2012- Colorado Springs here we come!