Beliefs | Mile Marker

I have stepped away for a while. I thought when I encountered some challenges then I would run to my blog write about them and work them all out. Instead I have found myself in a hole for the majority of the summer. Where have I been? What about those grandiose dreams of blogging daily and “creating content” that all those bloggers talk about is so important to get followers and to create something of themselves. I have not had good boundaries this summer. That is what it really comes down to, I did not take the time to write and the first little bump in the road I caved with my desires for this blog.

Where are we with our adoption? On May 31^st we had our home study interviews and received the preliminary report back in July (tough wait for me). Returned it that night with some small changes due to inaccuracies (my husband’s brother’s name etc) and we are waiting on the final product. Several things have happened during this process of reviewing ourselves. Have you ever read your own home study? I am not perfect and I am super honest about not being perfect- apparently I am really honest to my friends too! Reading about yourself from your own home study is humbling. People can say 100 great things and then I see the one thing I need to work on and hone in on that as if it is the only thing present. I need to more of this- self-reflection, asking other’s what they see in me and how to improve.

Today we are on our way to a campground for family camp. This is our first family camp experience. I am so excited to be with the kids and to spend some time reading while cooling off by the pool. My current books are Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Shepherding Your Child’s Heart (again). Here is a picture of the kids as they were singing together. So sorry it is blurry!

Here is the camp we will be lounging at this weekend. More pics from our own camera soon! Especially 80’s Prom Night!

Gotta go shopping!

Finish Strong!

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Convictions come with passion. It is easy to have a extreme conviction for your favorite sports team. Ever visited a Texas vs. OU weekend in Dallas? You will see conviction.

Ever tuned in to some hockey or football games where crazed fans dance mostly naked with their head/chest/body painted with their chosen colors? I am a girl who can hardly invest the time in watching a football game that we really want to win because of the heartbreak and pain of losing. Am I competitive? No, never…..ok, yeah for sure. I also don’t like feeling bad when we lose so I would rather just not invest the time than watch some game just to feel bad afterward. Of course, in the case of a grand win, I also miss out on the celebration. Usually I can hear it, in the other room- especially if my father is in the house- he yells so loud I think the neighbors can hear him. That kind of conviction is easy when you are supporting a team- how can we be fanatic about a football/soccer/hockey game but not about what we believe.

What do I believe?

Jesus is God who loves me so much he died for me, and he loves me personally.
Jesus desires all to come to know Him, and wants a personal relationship with them.
He adopted me into His family.

Galatians 4:4-7 Message

^4-7But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

This conviction, for our family, results in some behavior similar to that of the fans of the Georgia Bulldogs above, or the Sooner and Longhorn crazed fans that split the Cotton Bowl in half. Sure, we don’t run around with paint on our heads, body, and face but we make decisions some might call just as weird. Stick around- I am sure that I will share some of our “weirdness” with you. Why wouldn’t all our convictions lead us straight to action? Violently waving and cheering for a sports team is normal but spending money, time, and treasure on an adoption is not nearly as common place. In our case, we have children, and I am asked all the time: Why would you adopt instead of having another baby- as if adoption is relegated to those who cannot BIRTH their own children. The answer to this question every single time is

CONVICTION

We have decided what we believe.

What do you believe?

Tell me about it.