A Road Full of Promise: March 2011

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1).

Today has seemed like a roller coaster of emotions...probably hormones...ha ha! The Sunday morning started when I was watching Made on MTV and cried over a girl that was made into a cheerleader...really?! Anyway, the day was quickly turned around when we got to church. Nothing soothes my soul and melts my heart like worshiping my God with my wonderful husband worshiping beside me. God lifted me up and blessed me throughout the service. I am constantly praying for our unborn baby...to be healthy, happy, and most importantly to love God with all his/her heart, body, and soul. I pray that our child serve God and knows Him as his/her personal savior. I pray that Brad and I are able to not only lead our family through prayer and love, but also through example. I ask that God lead us in our marriage and parenting, so that it is pleasing to our God and a blessing to us. My God has been so good to me...even though we don't always deserve it. I left church with such a feeling of peace and grace; however, it was not long before Satan tried to steal that joy from me. Why does he seem to sneak up on us and try to take all of God's glory? He is so sneaky that often times I don't realize it is him until much later. I hate that! Satan tries to take all the joy and excitement out of God's blessings and cover it up with doubt and lies. I will not let him do this to me! I am armoring myself with scriptures and God's truths so when satan tries to lie to me I am able to rebuke him and focus on God's blessings in my life!

I am so thankful for after a long year of heartache and sadness, God has blessed my family with a sweet baby. I will thank God each and every day for this blessing and I will not let the devil lie to me or take away one second of my joy! Thank you Lord for blessing me, being my always and constant, loving me unconditionally, and allowing me to see your Truths each and every day!!

Here are a few of my favorite quotes and verses from Beth Moore's Breaking Free study:
*"I found Him faithful yesterday. He will not be unfaithful today."
*"He simply desires to grow us up and teach us to walk by faith and not by sight."
*Christ's presence is the basis for courage in our storms.
*"Ask Him in Jesus' name not to let the enemy steal one bit of the victory God has for you. We must not allow intimidation or fear to imprison us in any area. Remember, Satan can presume no authority in your life."
*"God is my only guarantee. The knower of all my needs is the sole Meeter of all my needs."
*"Christ is completely taken with you. He sees you as His beloved, His bride."

We are proud to announce our first addition to our family!!! After a long year of struggles and with the help of a super smart specialist, we will be welcoming our new baby around September 3rd, 2011. We feel so blessed and over-joyed by God's grace and gifts!

We are starting this blog to keep our parents updated with the pregnancy and baby. Also, I am hoping this motivates me to start chronicling the upcoming months...I have not been keeping up with belly pictures or any of my experiences over the past 17 weeks. I am excited for the next five months and then the arrival of our sweet baby!

The picture above is how we told my mom and Bill we were expecting. We had the ornament made and gave it to them on Christmas morning; my mom and Bill were so shocked and both cried with joy. We had found out on December 23rd that the pregnancy test was positive, but had lied to them so we could surprise them on Christmas morning. It was the best Christmas gift!