Saturday, February 9, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Reader Appreciation *GIVEAWAY*
Because you guys are so amazing...
Because we love the response we are getting from all of you...
Because we love that we are almost at 200 "likes" on Facebook...
Because of YOU, our readers, we are having our first GIVEAWAY here on GOGH.
Just in time for Valentines Day we want to gift one of our readers a;
Scentsy Plug-in Burner & 1 Scent Pack
Scent can be chosen from any of the following below
(Pretty In Pink, French Toast, Happy Go Lucky, Transcendence, Peppermint Dreams)
It is so easy to enter! We will keep the contest open for ONE week.
On Valentines Day we will choose the winner. We announce on Facebook/Twitter/via email.
So how bout it friends? Are you ready to enter?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
What Faith Can Do
Today I'm reflecting on faith. For many reasons. First, this week my tiny baby boy turned 6 months old. (He's not so tiny anymore.) I am reminded every single day what a gift and a blessing he is. I waited for him for a long time. I was patient in the waiting. But in the process of trying to start a family, I lost two babies. I was angry, hurt, grieving. But those losses allowed me to experience God's peace that passes all understanding. It allowed me to see the quiet, unspoken world of countless women who have also lost babies. God prepared me to reach out to friends who were grieving for their unborn children as well. That waiting... taught me to grow stronger in my faith. And God reassured me that He had a plan; He had a special baby just for my husband and I. And it was HIS timing, NOT mine, that mattered the most. Thank you Jesus for strengthening my faith in those times. Thank you for my 6 month old Miles.
I have a friend that has been trying to have their second child for over a year. She watched me go through my second miscarriage and then my pregnancy, and eventual birth of Miles all the while hurting inside for her chance. She also watch with hidden anger many of her friends had babies with no trouble getting pregnant at all. My friend has had her faith tested and tried. She has wanted to give up many many times; she was angry with God. BUT today... praise God that she is in her second trimester with a healthy baby growing! She kept her faith. She let go of her plans, decided that God was in control and chose to have faith.
I also have another friend who cannot physical carry a child. Her and her husband have been in the process of adopting for a while. In the last few weeks, they have had many opportunities from birth mothers looking for a caring, loving family to take their child in and raise them. Soon my friend will be going to California to meet their baby's mother and be able to go to a doctor appt to meet their little one via ultrasound for the first time. Their faith in God's plan and miracles has strengthened them during the waiting, wondering, and dreaming of their own baby.
Reading Andee's post yesterday about faith, waiting, and trusting in God about her future reminded me about my own journey of faith. What we want for our lives and when we think it should come about... is not necessarily what God KNOWS is best for us. There are lessons to be learned when we are asked to waiting. There is trust to be maintained when we are asked to do something we aren't comfortable with. Miracles can happen. Silent prayers can be answered. Broken hearts can be renewed.
That's what FAITH can do.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Blessing Restored
This past week I feel as if I have been floating through my days. I am here...but not really. My mind is racing, my heart is skipping beats, my prayers have been answered. My story is a very similar to what Julie talked about a few weeks ago....
2008, my family went through a life changing experience. We lost our home. We were the group that went through the first wave of foreclosures. My husband switched jobs and went through 4 months of out of town training. In doing so his pay was cut nearly in half of what he had been originally making...barely enough to get us by. I was working full time, paying for 2 children in daycare and VERY pregnant with our third. Finances began to get ugly. We were too proud to ask family to help us out. We did everything we "thought" was right. But it was just too much for us.
During the months that seemed like years, we tried to work with our Mortgage Company. We tried to get a lower rate. Tried to speak to someone "higher" up. They absolutely would NOT work with us, at all! We wanted to keep our home, we wanted to make our payments, but they would not hear us out. We begun living off of credit cards to just survive. Friends...we were in BAD BAD shape. Finally after almost a full year of fighting with our Mortgage Company, we threw up our hand and gave up. We quit, we were tapped out! Our funds were negative, we now had 3 kids to provide for.
We ended up walking away from our home. We called the bank and told them, "take the keys, we tried to work with you. We can not afford to stay here any more." We ended up renting a home from our in laws to get us through the years. Currently this is where we are now. During this time in our life we attended a small local church. I was steady in my attendance, I came, I listened, I tried to participate, I was luke warm. We did not tithe, we did not outreach...my husband was not on board.
Fast forward 3 years. Over the course of those past 3 years, we managed to erase nearly ALL of our debt! Pay off cars, credit cards, school loans...everything was gone except one car payment. We thought "YES, finally we can buy a home and get back on track!" My husbands job was providing more then we could ever imagine. Now with a foreclosure the wait time to purchase another home is 3 years. So my husband and I went to talk to a Home Loan officer. We wanted to see where we were in the means of purchasing another home. We sat through the meeting. We were told our credit was now EXCELLENT. We could afford X amount mortgage payment, we could qualify for X amount...but..."looks like the Mortgage filed a year later on your Foreclosure." WHAT!?! I kinda threw up a bit. My stomach was in knots. We were told we had to wait another year! My faith...gone! We were never going to own a home. Why God? Why? During this time, we had switched to another church. We attended regularly, we paid our tithes...sometimes, more then before. But God was not getting his full 10%. We still were not outreaching, we still didn't get involved in Church activities. We simply filled a seat on Sundays and paid enough tithes to fill a few coffee cups after service.
Jump ahead to present day. My husband and I started looking at houses in Aug 2012. We looked at old houses, houses with land, Track homes, we looked out of town. We were almost desperate to find a house. Finally after much heartache, lots of chocolate, hours of stressing, I finally just said "take it God...I can not do this anymore, if you want us to have a home, it will be under your terms." I had friends praying for us, family, I mean we were giving all back to him. Mind you, at this time I started attending a Women's Bible study with Tiffany and Teryn. After attending these studies I felt a tug at my heart to check out the Church service at this church. So I attended alone, without my husband. Weekend after weekend, study after study. I was burning for God. My heart was set a blaze for the word. I talked my husband into attending with the kids and I. He was skeptical at first. Weeks passed and he began to really enjoy it. We began to pay our tithes. All of it...the full 10% and then some. I became deep in the word...he started reading his bible. The kids were reading their bible. Girls of Gods Heart formed. I started speaking out about God. God was finally able to use me. I was finally allowing myself to be used.
Last week, while cooking dinner I received a text message. The message was, "we want to help you guys out, we want you to have the opportunity to buy the house." Is this real life? Am I on Punk'd? Is Ashton Kutcher here?
I had been praying for THIS house. Praying that God would work out all the details. AND he did! You see my friend...all those years my husband and I went without REALLY giving ourselves to Christ. We were mearly just existing. We believed, we attended, but we were not sanctified through and through. We did not sew into Gods kingdom. God allowed us to be dealt with, he allowed us to go through that experience so we could gain so so much more! We were told to wait ONE more year...what are the odds of that? We cleared our debt, I became at stay at home mom, our finances have doubled and we now are moving into a house that is twice the size of the one we live in now. My friend, God does not want us to live an ordinary life, he wants us to live an extraordinary life. We go through trial after trial so he can mold us and shape us to our full potential...according to his will.
Had my husband not changed jobs and we lost our house...we would probably still be living in that same house. Going to that same church...sometimes. I would have never had the opportunity to be here sharing my story.
Satan is out there trying to steal your blessings. Trying to rob you blind of all you have in your life. Your family, your spouse. Your friends, your job, even your finances. I hope that what ever you are going through in your life, know that it is not for nothing. The bible says, what the thief (Satan) steals away, he has to pay it back sevenfold! Proverbs 6:30-31 Yes beloved...your blessings are a coming...more then you have ever imagined! It may seem dark now...but in the midst of that darkness is light...HE is light. Claim your blessings! Believe it and see all your blessings RESTORED...and more!
2008, my family went through a life changing experience. We lost our home. We were the group that went through the first wave of foreclosures. My husband switched jobs and went through 4 months of out of town training. In doing so his pay was cut nearly in half of what he had been originally making...barely enough to get us by. I was working full time, paying for 2 children in daycare and VERY pregnant with our third. Finances began to get ugly. We were too proud to ask family to help us out. We did everything we "thought" was right. But it was just too much for us.
During the months that seemed like years, we tried to work with our Mortgage Company. We tried to get a lower rate. Tried to speak to someone "higher" up. They absolutely would NOT work with us, at all! We wanted to keep our home, we wanted to make our payments, but they would not hear us out. We begun living off of credit cards to just survive. Friends...we were in BAD BAD shape. Finally after almost a full year of fighting with our Mortgage Company, we threw up our hand and gave up. We quit, we were tapped out! Our funds were negative, we now had 3 kids to provide for.
We ended up walking away from our home. We called the bank and told them, "take the keys, we tried to work with you. We can not afford to stay here any more." We ended up renting a home from our in laws to get us through the years. Currently this is where we are now. During this time in our life we attended a small local church. I was steady in my attendance, I came, I listened, I tried to participate, I was luke warm. We did not tithe, we did not outreach...my husband was not on board.
Fast forward 3 years. Over the course of those past 3 years, we managed to erase nearly ALL of our debt! Pay off cars, credit cards, school loans...everything was gone except one car payment. We thought "YES, finally we can buy a home and get back on track!" My husbands job was providing more then we could ever imagine. Now with a foreclosure the wait time to purchase another home is 3 years. So my husband and I went to talk to a Home Loan officer. We wanted to see where we were in the means of purchasing another home. We sat through the meeting. We were told our credit was now EXCELLENT. We could afford X amount mortgage payment, we could qualify for X amount...but..."looks like the Mortgage filed a year later on your Foreclosure." WHAT!?! I kinda threw up a bit. My stomach was in knots. We were told we had to wait another year! My faith...gone! We were never going to own a home. Why God? Why? During this time, we had switched to another church. We attended regularly, we paid our tithes...sometimes, more then before. But God was not getting his full 10%. We still were not outreaching, we still didn't get involved in Church activities. We simply filled a seat on Sundays and paid enough tithes to fill a few coffee cups after service.
Jump ahead to present day. My husband and I started looking at houses in Aug 2012. We looked at old houses, houses with land, Track homes, we looked out of town. We were almost desperate to find a house. Finally after much heartache, lots of chocolate, hours of stressing, I finally just said "take it God...I can not do this anymore, if you want us to have a home, it will be under your terms." I had friends praying for us, family, I mean we were giving all back to him. Mind you, at this time I started attending a Women's Bible study with Tiffany and Teryn. After attending these studies I felt a tug at my heart to check out the Church service at this church. So I attended alone, without my husband. Weekend after weekend, study after study. I was burning for God. My heart was set a blaze for the word. I talked my husband into attending with the kids and I. He was skeptical at first. Weeks passed and he began to really enjoy it. We began to pay our tithes. All of it...the full 10% and then some. I became deep in the word...he started reading his bible. The kids were reading their bible. Girls of Gods Heart formed. I started speaking out about God. God was finally able to use me. I was finally allowing myself to be used.
Last week, while cooking dinner I received a text message. The message was, "we want to help you guys out, we want you to have the opportunity to buy the house." Is this real life? Am I on Punk'd? Is Ashton Kutcher here?
I had been praying for THIS house. Praying that God would work out all the details. AND he did! You see my friend...all those years my husband and I went without REALLY giving ourselves to Christ. We were mearly just existing. We believed, we attended, but we were not sanctified through and through. We did not sew into Gods kingdom. God allowed us to be dealt with, he allowed us to go through that experience so we could gain so so much more! We were told to wait ONE more year...what are the odds of that? We cleared our debt, I became at stay at home mom, our finances have doubled and we now are moving into a house that is twice the size of the one we live in now. My friend, God does not want us to live an ordinary life, he wants us to live an extraordinary life. We go through trial after trial so he can mold us and shape us to our full potential...according to his will.
Had my husband not changed jobs and we lost our house...we would probably still be living in that same house. Going to that same church...sometimes. I would have never had the opportunity to be here sharing my story.
Satan is out there trying to steal your blessings. Trying to rob you blind of all you have in your life. Your family, your spouse. Your friends, your job, even your finances. I hope that what ever you are going through in your life, know that it is not for nothing. The bible says, what the thief (Satan) steals away, he has to pay it back sevenfold! Proverbs 6:30-31 Yes beloved...your blessings are a coming...more then you have ever imagined! It may seem dark now...but in the midst of that darkness is light...HE is light. Claim your blessings! Believe it and see all your blessings RESTORED...and more!
Proverbs 6:30-31
English Standard Version (ESV)
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
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