It's Called Unconditional Love...

My little guy: "Mom, why did you and Dad do all this cool stuff for me even though I'm bad?"
Me: "You're not bad. Don't say that."
My little guy: "No, like sometimes I do bad stuff or I don't obey you guys."
Me: (Lump in my throat) "Well, because we love you always. No matter what.  Mommy and Daddy always want to do good for you and give you good things... it's called unconditional love."
My little guy: "Oh..."
Me: "And guess what? That's how God loves us. Even though we don't always obey. Even though we sometimes choose bad over good. He loves us.  He died on the cross for us."
My little guy: "And He even died for the people that did bad stuff to Him..."
Me: "Yes, He sure did..."
*************************************
This conversation took place today at the park.  Our two oldest daughters were at volleyball and water polo practice and our youngest daughter was at a summer program at her school.  Marco and I decided we would spend some special time with our little guy at a nearby park. We brought his fishing poll and he did some "fishing" (translates to casting, reeling in, casting, reeling in, splash tip of poll in water, get distracted by every splash or movement around him...), then we went exploring and tried to catch some frogs and ended it with him playing at the play ground and getting wet at the splash pad.

After the conversation, you better believe that my husband and I both looked at each other with so much gratitude in that moment. So thankful for my little Thinker.  He talks a lot.  Yes, he sometimes gets out of control or gets too loud or acts without thinking - but this kid's got a heart of gold.

So thankful I took the time to listen.  To really hear him and answer his questions.  We constantly learn from our kids.  That's okay, you know.

Did you know that our God loves us no matter what? He doesn't care what we look like, what we know, how much money we have, or what church we go to - or even if we go to church at all.  That is not what makes Him loves us.  He loves us because we are His children.  He created us.

So stop worrying my friend. You can't make Him not love you.  Ever. Even when you are "bad" or sometimes do bad things.  It's called grace. It's called unconditional love.

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Good Morning Valentine!

Marco and I love to make every possible holiday special for our children. 

It doesn't take a lot of money to make someone feel special and to show your love for them.

I made each of the children their own mailbox designed just for them, got them a pair of fluffy dollar store pair of house socks, and a little thing of chocolate. Then their dad, who was also planning on spoiling them, had picked up some inexpensive chocolate for each of them.

For My Little Guy Marco

For my sweet Naomi

For my "Directioner" Taryn

For my all-grown up Hannah Joy

Marco and I prepared breakfast for them before school/work.

Yummy Valentine Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream, bacon and sausage.

Celebrating our 23rd Valentine's Day together. <3

Take time to show your love to those around you. All it takes is a little bit of thought! 

You'll never regret it!

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.” ~~Mother Teresa

Happy Valentine's Day to you from Me!

My first date with my husband Marco was to the Sears Tower on January 26, 1990.  Then we attended our Valentine's Banquet at the college shortly after that. We got married after we graduated in the summer of 1993 and this year we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. 

I love him more today than I ever have before.

In this house, we love LOVE.

I love hearts of all kinds, especially deep red folk hearts, but I especially love to find surprise hearts in nature.  I often see hearts in the clouds, trees, leaves, flowers, rocks...everywhere. My children are great at noticing them for me too. My little guy found this heart shaped rock for me. I love it.

One of my new favorite things to play with is chalkboard paint and chalk markers.

I think Valentine's Day is one of the Best Day's ever because not only am I blessed and get showered in love, but it's a day where I can really make a big deal for my loved ones.  I know some people don't like the commercialization of it and I agree that it can go over board - but I think you can make your loved ones feel special any day, and today is extra-fun for us.  I will share a post later on today to show you what my husband and I did for my kiddos.

 

I Corinthians 13:4-7, 13~

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Faith.Hope.Love...

I've just started a Bible study with a group of ladies on facebook.  We are following the set up from Good Morning Girls.  This is my fourth time leading a Bible study with this group and I am loving it!
There is accountability and encouragement when you try to do something like this with a network.

I am currently working on (yes, it is WORK) getting in shape and shedding some pounds.  I have tried to do this many times, only to get discouraged and give up.  However, this time around, I am not alone.  My sweet husband is doing it with me!  We are really pushing and encouraging each other and it seems when one of us has a weakness, the other is strong and helps to get us through.

This is what I am hoping for in this Bible study.  Those that are in the group are there because they have a desire to get into the Word of God.  They want to know more.  
But let's fact it.  It's not always easy.  

In a perfect world, we would rise from our beds, pour our coffee and get right into our devotions and let it carry us through the day.  Guess what??? This world is not perfect and we have crazy, busy schedules.  We have jobs outside the home, we have children and a husband to care for or other responsibilities and sometimes just taking time to sit and relax in the Word feels like an impossible feat! 

However, you and I both know that we need it more than anything.  So, make time.  Somehow, find a few minutes to check into God's Word and search for that nugget of truth.  Ask Him to guide you.  

This week we are learning about faith, hope, love, truth and GRACE... Grace, Grace, God's Grace!!!
It's not too late to join us.  Just find me on facebook and shoot me a message and I would be glad to add you to our friendly group of ladies.  You will be glad you did!

Real Love...

Love is not self-seeking...

This was such a sweet moment. Naomi was crying over something that was probably not that big of a deal to most of us, but it didn't matter to Lily. She saw that her friend was sad and she reached out to her. She didn't tell Naomi to quit being a baby, she didn't judge her, she didn't laugh at her, she didn't think that Naomi was weak...she just reached out. In her innocence, she showed true love.

Oh, to be that kind of friend. To love without judging. It's so hard once we get a little older and we "wise" up. Instead of unconditional love, we set conditions. We may not even realize it, but we do. I know that I have - but I don't want to anymore. If you could have only been there, in the moment, to witness the kindness shown by Lily. Sincere concern in her eyes for her friend.

I imagine this is what God meant when He inspired 1 Corinthians 13. I especially love the following verses:

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Wow! Think about those verses. May we learn to truly love as God intended.

Art Journal Every Day ~ Loving Fearlessly

I'm so very thankful for the different art journaling groups that I am involved in... I keep a journal, but love the art journaling part that takes everything to another level. I am inspired by so many people out there and each day is a journey of learning and growing. There are buttons on my side bar that will take you to some of my favorite art journaling blogs and challenges.

Love is Free.

In celebration of LOVE, Connie at Dirty Footprints Studio is have an Art Journal Love Day!! Head over and join in the fun!LOVE is FREE. It is not something that you have to earn. I still struggle with being "good enough". I still struggle with conditions being put on love and acceptance. I never want to do that to anyone. I want to love - no matter what. If I say it - I mean it - I show it. It's free. You don't have to do any more to get more. I'm thankful for an Unconditional Love from my Heavenly Father. I want to love like Jesus loves.

I did these pages in an old, hard-backed Discovery and Exploration Atlas History. A friend of mine gave it to me to use for the text pages in my art work. After looking at it for a while, I decided that I would rather use it as a journal. This Love prompt was my first piece in it. Here's what it looks like.

Here's the outside...

The inside cover...

This is what some of the pages look like...

I know...some of you must think it's a pity to paint in a book like this - but I LOVE it. History and geography are some of my favorite subjects and now I get to mix some art into it?? Perfect!

Just tell Him you love Him!

Every year, my husband has chosen a theme for our church. He chooses a scripture to go with the theme and one of the guys from our worship team even writes a song to go with that theme. We sing it all year long and it's a great reminder of what we want to focus on for the year. It's a lot like our One Little Word, I guess.
Well, this year's theme is "Love thy neighbor" James 2:8~"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:"
Then add that it is the month of February and you've got lots of preaching about love this month! Hey, that's good, right? =)
Well, this last week he preached from Deuteronomy 6:5-9 which says:
"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."
As he preached, he asked us how often we tell God that we love Him. He pointed out how in these verses we are told to love the LORD our God with ALL our heart, and with ALL our soul, and with ALL our might.
We need to be teaching His word to our children...diligently.
We should be talking about it day in and day out...sitting or standing...lying down or rising up...
We are to bind them upon our hands, write them on the posts of our house and on our gates...

I could hardly stifle the cry that was coming up from my throat. I was immediately filled with guilt. I know that some of you readers would look at that as a negative thing, but it really wasn't. It was one of those moments where I was so convicted yet, I was comforted almost immediately knowing that He was not judging me for it. He is patient, loving and kind. He is forgiving.
I started to think about all of the other things in this world that I love with all my heart, soul and mind. What is my first thought in the morning? Is it a thought of thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord for another day? I have been staying faithful to my quiet time of study, worship, prayer, etc. - but couldn't I put off checking my email or facebook until AFTER I've met with the Lord? What are my last thoughts before I lay my head down on the pillow after a long day? Are we talking of His love in our home or are we complaining about the rotten economy or our bad day?
Have you ever heard the story about the man that was asked how often he told his wife that he loved her and his reply was, "What do you mean? I told her once when I married her and if I change my mind, I'll let her know." Wow. That might sound funny, but we know that everyone likes to hear a sincere "I love you". It could be from your spouse, a friend, a parent, your child...it doesn't matter who it's from when it's sincere.
Valentine's Day is coming up and people are probably going to be scrambling to buy over-priced flowers and chocolates that have been sitting on the shelves since the day they moved the Christmas stuff away. What if your loved one only told you once a year that he/she loved you? What if he/she only showed you his/her love for you when they needed something or were sorry? Don't you love it when you're children come up to you out of the blue and maybe give you a hug and an "I love you." for no reason at all? It's the best feeling ever!
So, what are you waiting for? Your Heavenly Father wants to know that you love Him. Oh, sure. He already knows you do - but wouldn't it be nice to tell Him? Isn't it the least you could do?
I know my heart broke that morning as I said:
"God, I am so sorry. You never leave me. You never forget me, yet sometimes, I forget to acknowledge You. You love me so much that you sent Your Son to die for me. You wanted me to have a peace that passes all understanding. You put me first even when I try to put you on a schedule. Please forgive me. I love you and am blessed beyond all measure to be Your daughter."
You know what? I am forgiven. That's the best thing. I do not serve a God who is a tyrant. He loves me and always wants the best for me. It's not too late for you to tell Him how you feel. He already knows...but He just might want to hear it from you.