Faith Deployed: Expect the Unexpected

Please join me at Faith Deployed as I share how you just can't contain the awesome God of the universe!

Guest Post

Thanks to Jen for asking me to guest post over at Team Chase! It was a pleasure to share our journey of adopting a waiting child. 

Please follow this link to read my post but don't stop there! Read their amazing journey towards adoption from Ethiopia.

Join Me At Faith Deployed

I'm over at Faith Deployed today sharing how spiritual fitness is so much more important than physical fitness.

Book Release Aug 2011

I'm thrilled to announce that the book I was a part of, Faith Deployed...Again, will be published by Moody Publishing this August in time for the 10th anniversary of September 11th.  Please check out the link for more information and a list of contributing authors! I know this is going to be a wonderful encouragement for military families!

Wordless Weekend

She Knows She's Different

It wasn't too long ago that Prim sat on my lap, crying so sadly and with such depth that I couldn't help but cry right along with her.  She said to me, "I missed you when I was a baby", and in that moment I got that she understood her life has been different.  I can not deny that things are going to be different for her.  I can not pretend away her hurt and grief that still lurks in her five year old mind.  Her adoption and the subsequent trauma of abandonment are imprinted on her soul.  The only question is what she's going to do with what she's been given.
I can see now that she is working through some things.  She is trying to be this independent little girl while still clinging to the parents she hopes won't abandon her.  Even after all of this time, somewhere deep down, she doesn't believe she will wake up in the morning and we will still be here.  And I don't blame her.
Adoption is hard. But not because it's hard for me.  It's because my daughter hurts.  Everything changed for her.  She had to fit into our world and there are days I watch her play and smile and wonder who she would be if she were still thousands of miles away surrounded by what was always familiar.
There is nothing more difficult as a mother to watch your child suffer and suffer she certainly has.  I pray that God watches over my sweet girl.  That He stands in the gap on the days when I don't know what to do or how to do it.  That He becomes Love for her that is fulfilling and complete in every way.  I pray that He gives me the wisdom to do right by her and show her compassionate and patience.   I hope she can feel how much I love her, how much I care for her and who she is.  Because she deserves everything this world has to offer.

Book Review: Sacred Marriage

Join me at Wives in Bloom as I review my FAVORITE book on marriage!

The Book

I'm so thrilled to finally be able to announce that I will be part of Jocelyn Green's new book, "Faith Deployed Again" due out this August!!  I was so blessed to be a part of this collaborative effort with such talented women and loved every part of the process.  Thanks to Jocelyn for the amazing opportunity!  If you or someone you know is a military spouse or family member looking for encouragement then please look for the book this summer!

A huge thanks to my husband who came home from deployment just in time for me to start this project and afforded me the time and energy to meet my deadline! And thanks to my family and friends who encouraged and prayed for me this past six weeks!

God's Word For Marriage

Join me at Faith Deployed today to read my post on God's words of encouragement for marriage. 

Wordless Weekend: Taking a Moment to Laugh