Wrapping paper bliss!
The future of guitar hero!!
The pillow is as big as her! I got her that!! But everyone kept telling her it was a bunch of toilet paper before she unwrapped it... she didn't believe us!!
Me in my snazy new fleece!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Christmas with the family
Wrapping paper bliss!The future of guitar hero!!The pillow is as big as her! I got her that!! But everyone kept telling her it was a bunch of toilet paper before she unwrapped it... she didn't believe us!!Me in my snazy new fleece!
Tara's going away party
She said she kind of knew...
...but I think it was still a surprise!
Karlee and Josh made a surprise appearance.
The balloon was actually stuck to her thumb!!
But don't worry, she got it off!
Guitar Heroness
Crazy uno; its crazy...and I still don't get it! "cool beans!"
We will all miss her, but she's going to change the world!
The map of Bend. So she doesn't forget us, and how much we love her.
We love you Tara!! Don't stay away too long!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
"Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." ~John 15:1-5~
I have come to this new place in my life where I can see that I am bearing much fruit. The Lord has been blessing me so abundantly with so much opportunity and success in everything I put my hands to.
A lot of the things I was praying for these past two years have been graciously answered beyond my expectations, and I am in awe as I watch the visions God gave me and the words he spoke over me unfold before my feet just as he said they would.
I have been given so much more than I asked for, but this season of prosperity I am in is not how I thought it would be. He has changed me through the process, and I find myself with all new struggles.
I am full of joy and excitement for what is ahead, and at the same time I feel the discomfort of being pruned and shaped from the inside out.
My circumstances have changed, but more than that, my heart has been completely changed. The way that I think has completely changed, and I cannot take any credit for it.
A lot of people focus on the part that says "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7) including myself, but what it says before that is that if you want to bear more fruit you must be pruned!
I have to admit, that I haven't always believed that what I was praying for would ever be answered. I believed God could do anything, but a part of me was never convinced that He would do it for me. I sort of thought I would only see Him do it for everyone else...and honestly, I think it was a cop-out so I could stay where I was comfortable!
He revealed to me that I was not giving Him my whole heart, so my heart went wild with pride, fear, doubt, and complacency, and He could not prune it out because I was not letting Him. And I waisted so much time wondering why I could not change myself; why could not just be different; why I could not grow anymore.
A professional landscaper or gardener can take his sheers to a tree or a shrub, and make it look beautiful, all while encouraging it to grow up, thus, clearing the walk way it was blocking before. But someone with no experience tries to go and do the same thing, and just butchers the crap out of the poor thing, and it almost hurts just to look at it!
God wants to trim off the bad branches, clear my path, encourage me to grow taller and fuller, and make me look beautiful. Instead, I take the sheers and either butcher myself, or just let myself grow wild and out of control, not to mention I'm blocking my own path!
Well, I finally gave Him the sheers. Though it is uncomfortable, I feel for beautiful now than I ever have. I feel clean and fresh, and closer to my Lord.
When I look ahead, I see challenges, but I am not discouraged. I just take a deep breath and... Abide in Him! I know there will be stretching, and times for the need of endurance, but I also know that I can Trust in Him that I will reach the other side in better condition than when I started.
"By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." ~John 15:8~
I have come to this new place in my life where I can see that I am bearing much fruit. The Lord has been blessing me so abundantly with so much opportunity and success in everything I put my hands to.
A lot of the things I was praying for these past two years have been graciously answered beyond my expectations, and I am in awe as I watch the visions God gave me and the words he spoke over me unfold before my feet just as he said they would.
I have been given so much more than I asked for, but this season of prosperity I am in is not how I thought it would be. He has changed me through the process, and I find myself with all new struggles.
I am full of joy and excitement for what is ahead, and at the same time I feel the discomfort of being pruned and shaped from the inside out.
My circumstances have changed, but more than that, my heart has been completely changed. The way that I think has completely changed, and I cannot take any credit for it.
A lot of people focus on the part that says "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7) including myself, but what it says before that is that if you want to bear more fruit you must be pruned!
I have to admit, that I haven't always believed that what I was praying for would ever be answered. I believed God could do anything, but a part of me was never convinced that He would do it for me. I sort of thought I would only see Him do it for everyone else...and honestly, I think it was a cop-out so I could stay where I was comfortable!
He revealed to me that I was not giving Him my whole heart, so my heart went wild with pride, fear, doubt, and complacency, and He could not prune it out because I was not letting Him. And I waisted so much time wondering why I could not change myself; why could not just be different; why I could not grow anymore.
A professional landscaper or gardener can take his sheers to a tree or a shrub, and make it look beautiful, all while encouraging it to grow up, thus, clearing the walk way it was blocking before. But someone with no experience tries to go and do the same thing, and just butchers the crap out of the poor thing, and it almost hurts just to look at it!
God wants to trim off the bad branches, clear my path, encourage me to grow taller and fuller, and make me look beautiful. Instead, I take the sheers and either butcher myself, or just let myself grow wild and out of control, not to mention I'm blocking my own path!
Well, I finally gave Him the sheers. Though it is uncomfortable, I feel for beautiful now than I ever have. I feel clean and fresh, and closer to my Lord.
When I look ahead, I see challenges, but I am not discouraged. I just take a deep breath and... Abide in Him! I know there will be stretching, and times for the need of endurance, but I also know that I can Trust in Him that I will reach the other side in better condition than when I started.
"By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." ~John 15:8~
Friday, December 21, 2007
"But the greatest of these is love"
I was reading Gracie's blog about relating to our culture, and our great need of Christ's supernatural love to help us reach out to people, and it got me thinking about my own life, and how Christ's love has been shown to me.This picture was taken just days before my new life with Jesus Christ would begin. You probably never would have guessed that previous to these drapes of red and trim of silver, I was dressed in black sweatshirts, baggy jeans w/the "designer" holes, and up to six layers of wicca/ voodoo necklaces at a time on a daily bases. My most common attire was usually complemented by a 1" thick spike collar, which was originally intended for a dog!
In the early years of my life, the love God always intended for me to know was replaced with hurt, betrayal, abandonment, fear, anger. The message I was wanting to send most clearly was, "just leave me be, there is pain here, the closer you get, the more I hurt, so please just stay away."
I had most people fooled...most that is.
I was brought to Christ because people loved me through my spike collar and baggy clothes!
They didn't have to say much...because I watched every move they made, and everything they did was in love.
I saw their faces, I heard their voices, but there was always another conversation going on in the midst of it. A conversation between the Holy Spirit and my soul!
Because Christ was behind all of their actions, He himself was able to move through them and speak to my heart to the deepest level.
We absolutely cannot underestimate the awesome power of the love of Christ!! Because, honestly, that is the real miracle behind everything He has done for us.
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:13~
Rosa's Christmas Recitle
Rockin out to jingle bells, 8 days of haunika, must be santa clause, the shoemaker
the hawaii song(if they could hardly say the words, I don't think I could do much better!), silent night, and...
One precious little boy in a red santa hat helped us to always remember..."FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!!!"
and a partridge in a pear tree!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
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