Tag Archives: Freedom

I am my Beloved and My Beloved is Mine

23 May

12 years ago on a beautiful Colorado day I married my very best friend and the love of my life! I thought I couldn’t be any happier than I was at that moment but each year proves to be better than the last. We have been on such an adventure from births, deaths, illnesses, college, graduations, teenagers, moves, job changes, aging parents, and everything in between. With the constant changes of life, the one thing that has remained, is that we have clung to each other through all of it.  We have grown from a couple of crazy love-struck kids to a couple who are weathering the storms and enjoying every rainbow together. We have learned to appreciate that each day together is a gift.

There is no one I would rather spend time with or journey this life with. I am so blessed to married to a man of honor and integrity! A man who puts his family first and works hard to give us a good life. He is a man that I adore, respect and love! Without the grace of God none of this would of been possible!  I thank God for sustaining us and for constantly working on my heart as a wife. Happy Anniversary, Sunshine! Thank you for choosing me!

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To All the Mama’s……

10 May
To all the mama’s who do this alone, to all the mama’s who chose life, to all those mama’s who chose to give that life to another woman, to all those women who wake to feel the sting of empty arms, to al those mama’s who never felt life grow in their bodies but love the children who grew in their hearts just the same, to all those mama’s who stepped in to raise another woman’s child because they were no longer able to, to all those mama’s who have angel babies, to all the mama’s who are caring for children with special needs, to all the ladies who don’t have the official title of mom but love just the same, and to all the people who think of their mama’s in heaven today………He sees you, sees every tear, and holds you in the palm of His hand. Today I honor you and pray that the love of God will bring you strength, comfort, and joy!
Happy Mother’s Day!
~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~
Rebecca
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A Letter to my Daughter…

13 Oct

The world will tell you that beauty can be found in a certain bra size or certain jean size but the truth is is that beauty is found in your heart size.  Let me be honest, you will be judged on these and so much more and it will sting.  The enemy uses those weak spots, those areas we are most conscious about to wiggle his way in and whisper destruction to your soul. Don’t be fooled or transformed by the vainness of the world but rather inspire true beauty even when it is hard or ignored or mocked.

Women, in particular, are digging themselves into pits so vast that they can’t find their way out. Their struggle to conform is killing them.  Maybe not always physically but emotionally. Searching for that one magic thing that will all of a sudden transform their lives from mediocre to magnificent.

It’s amazing the depths we will go for vanity or pleasure and how shallow our efforts are toward the Lord.  Proverbs 31:30 reminds women that our physical beauty will fail us all eventually.

We are so busy chasing someone else’s best 10 seconds that we lose sight on how terrific our life can be. Until we center our focus on the Creator and let Him lead us through the beautiful mess of life we will never find the magnificent we are looking for-it doesn’t exist apart from the Lord!

When you start to see yourself and your life through the eyes of our Creator you will be transformed by the marvelous creation you are.  It is then that you will truly see and understand your gifts, talents, and the greater purpose of your life.  Matthew 10:39  reminds us that if we are only concerned about finding ourselves first you will never will but if you pursue the Lord first you will find both Him and you.  So pursue the Lord with eagerness and expectation!

Fill those cracks and gaps in your armor with the life giving words of God and focus your efforts on becoming who He says you are!  Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and hold you accountable.  God never intended us to make this journey alone.  Female friendships in the media are always portrayed as conniving, selfish and, jealous.  Women using and abusing each other in hopes of gaining power and popularity.  Don’t buy into the lie.  Sisterhood, when Christ centered, can be one of the biggest blessings of life.

It’s not always easy but with that foundation of Christ in place whatever the stumble, you have that compass always pointing you back to the arms of the one who makes everything beautiful….even the broken and messy.

 

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

 

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Remember to Pray

4 Jul

Happy Independence Day!

I am reminded today to take a moment to reflect on the tremendous blessing it is to be an American. That despite all that seems to divide us here we are truly blessed to enjoy the freedom of difference.

We can easily take for granted that as Christians we can freely declare, worship, and proclaim that Christ is King without fear of persecution.

I am asking you, my brother’s and sister’s in Christ, to remember our persecuted brother’s and sister’s who are being persecuted but still hold fast to their beliefs no matter what the cost. I wonder if I would be so bold for Christ if under the same pressure.

Prayers for our soldiers who bravely give…… sometimes everything to protect the flag and country they love.

Have a wonderful celebration!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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As we Remember…..

26 May

I live with a constant reminder of how blessed I am to of been born and raised in a free country. It is am awesome responsibility to live in such a way that it is never in vain. I am so grateful for the brave men and women who headed the call and left what was familiar and comfortable for a life of upheaval and uncertainty.  Today I pause with reflective prayer to honor those who gave their all…the fallen brave who courageously breathed their last breath defending the country and the people they so loved.

The families who gather around a grave rather than a grill-my prayer is that our Heavenly Father will fill them with grace, peace, and healing.  That they would find comfort in each other and that the sweet memories of their loved ones will sustain them until they are reunited in Heaven. Thank you, for your great sacrifice also!

Regardless of your feelings of the military, president, or war we are one family bonded by the American Flag and we should support our soldiers and let them know we appreciate them. A simple “Thank you for your service”, will really show that you stand united with them. Continue to pray for them, for their safety, for our safety, and for their families.

Pray for our wounded country. Pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will help us to turn our faces to Him once again and that He will Bless and unite us.

Thank you to our fallen, to our veterans, and to those serving……..it’s not in vain!

I will leave you with a quote I found.

“Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you….Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.”

~Author Unknown~

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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Happy Veteran’s Day

11 Nov

Freedom isn’t free. Thank you to all the brave men and women past and present. May we live in such a way that it honors your great service and sacrifice. A special Veteran’s Day thank you to my dad, a career Navy man who did two tours of Vietnam. What a great privilege it is to wake up everyday and praise the Lord without fear of persecution. My freedom is such a precious gift and I thank you and honor you, everyday!   God Bless you and God Bless the USA.

veterans day

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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Loving when you don’t Like

22 Jul

ImageAs a Christian, we get fired up to love like Jesus.  There are sweet thoughts of loving and caring for God’s people with unconditional limitations. Let’s be honest, there are just some people that you just don’t like.  I am guilty of this.  Despite my best intentions, I just can’t get over it.  How in the world am I supposed to love someone I just don’t like?  It seems the two, liking and loving, should go hand in hand. 

Usually, not liking someone stems from a past unresolved hurt.  In our humanness we hold on to hurt and allow it to remain a raw wound on our soul.  How do we begin the process of healing the hurt and learning to love like Jesus?

First, surrender it to the Lord.  Matthew 5:44 says” Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  I know, easier said than done.  Sometimes we hold onto it and practice in our head how revenge will be brought forth. We feel vindicated to store our hurts and disappointments in a chest that we can, from time to time, open and revisit like a treasured memory. It isn’t an easy or pretty process and God is OK with messy, be honest, He understands.  The more time we spend with Him the better our perspective of people become and the easier it becomes to forgive.

It is a process we can’t do alone. John 15:4 says “ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”. We need to cleave to His promises and we will be given the strength and grace necessary to forgive, heal and ultimately love.

It is a process and journey.  Varying on the degree of hurt, it can be lengthy.  Each journey begins with a single step-one foot in front of the other, stepping out in faith, along you go. a Maybe a few times you trip or wander off course but you keep at it, one step at a time.   

Keep this in mind, Jesus didn’t command you to like, He commanded you to love (John 13:34).  My brother’s and sister’s, I pray the Lord will help you through your journey of forgiveness and learning to love as Christ commanded.  Sometimes hurts are so deep and raw you need to seek a professional.  I urge you to seek a Christian therapist, pastor, or a mature trusted friend to help you along. Trust in God’s Divine Providence, and it will be you that is blessed.

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca 

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Talking to our kids about Boston

9 Jul

This was something I wrote and shared on our MOPS blog right after the Boston bombing. My thoughts on talking to our children about such things

It seems more and more we are having to be so deliberate to shield our children from never ending bad news. Shooting, war and now a bombing.

I still remember the morning more than a dozen years ago when I turned on the TV just in time to watch live as a plane took out the second tower. It was the first time I knew that I couldn’t hide the bad news from my then five year old, Alison. Minutes later my nightgown wearing barefoot daughter made her way sleepily to the living room. As she snuggled down deep next to me she knew that this morning was different. You don’t necessarily think when you are cradling your baby in your arms that one day you would have to explain evil to them. You are not prepared and I don’t think you can be. It is just one of those jump in head first and pray that what comes out is sufficient enough to be truthful and satisfying without ruining the innocence and wide eyed curiosity that only childhood can yield. How do you remind them the that here and now in my arms or at school or at grandma’s they are safe? I know we need to filter but most of the time it is unavoidable.

Several months ago. Another school shooting. This time it was Brouke’s turn to see what evil looks like. And now, an all American wholesome activity marred by destruction and devastation is plastered everywhere. The horror and destruction is all over the TV and on the lips of every adult.

It is a fine line and letting your kids steer your conversation will generally give you parameters to work with. Kids usually ask great questions and beyond what they ask is most of the time unnecessary. They will clue you in to what is in their heart and how much they can handle. With the little ones be selective, you don’t want to compromise their sense of safety. Older kids will be able to process more but all children will need extra love and reassurance. Speak scripture to them. Remind them not be worry or be anxious (Matthew 6:27) that God will deliver us from our fears (Psalm 34:4). Tell them that God will give them peace and that He is in control (Phillipians4:6-7). Remind them for every bad person their are thousands of good people. Let them get involved in making the world a better place by giving them opportunities to serve others and their community. It helps channel all their fears and gives them a sense of control over their environment. Mostly, trust your instincts. God gave you the children you have for a reason.

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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So Good to be Reminded

4 Jul

I had the chance to spend some time speaking with a Nigerian woman today. She spent some time telling me about the twenty-some years spent in Nigeria, a life that we don’t see or hear about in the media. I was shaken listening to her stories of polygamy, abuse, corruption, and cult like rituals. She touched on that for a while before moving on to her new life here. Her face suddenly lit up as she spoke with enthusiasm and gratitude of simplistic things, everyday norms that get overlooked in our busy, abundant, entitled lives. Her joy was undeniable and my guilt and embarrassment apparent. You see, I was doing a little complaining.

It got me thinking about how very blessed we are to live in a country where we are free to share our thoughts and opinions, to disagree, to think freely, to dress as we please, to go where we please, to eat what we please and to worship our God freely and openly without fear.  This is normal life to us.  We don’t really appreciate these freedoms until we are reminded that life isn’t so everywhere else.
Despite all the problems, we are blessed.  So I will shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth (Psalm 100:1) and I will do it without fear, for I am a blessed American woman.

A prayer for you:
Thank you God for blessing me with being a woman, wife, and mother here in America.  Thank you for the blessing of clean water, abundant food, education, and medicine regardless of money.  Thank you God for the freedom to worship you wherever and whenever we choose- free from persecution.  Lord, I pray for the women who live oppressed persecuted lives. For the women who live in fear and without hope.  Lord, somehow someway touch them and deliver them from the bondage.  With praise and thanksgiving to you, my mighty King-Amen!

Happy 4th of July and remember freedom isn’t free. With gratitude, I celebrate!

~Be Blessed and be a Blessing~

Rebecca

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