Hebrews 12:3, life lately {Plus a giveaway!}

Yesterday's "Jesus Calling" was interrupted by a cute little baby, so I finished it up this morning. The one verse that stuck way out to me was Hebrews 12:3

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself,

so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."

I was blown away by this beautiful truth! When we consider what our Savior went through for us, for ME, at the hands of sinners, how can I lose heart at my trials which are mere shadows. Which my God uses to mold me and never lets me go through them alone. When I meditate on Jesus and His sacrifice and the fact that "Ashamed I hear my mocking voice cry out among the scoffers" {Song: How Deep the Fathers Love for US} I begin to put my sufferings into perspective and learn to lean on the one who endured all things, even death on the cross.

Onto my life lately...

I found the cutest Christmas ornament patterns on this blog and am so excited about them! I am making them to donate to an adoption auction and a handmade Christmas exchange and for gifts for family! 

Lucy (my sister and brother-in-law's little Golden-Doodle) stayed this past week while they were on vacation, it was a little crazy, super dirty! But lots of fun =D

Muddy puppy!

Taking a bath, getting ready to go home!

It was also our puppies birthday on the 26th!

Happy second birthday, Nora!

Do you follow my shop IG, @oodlesofzoottles?? Because if you don't you are missing a fun fall giveaway - I debuted my Fall special, a Turkey Zoottle, and you could win one! Go check it out on my account to see how to enter.

Until next time...

Adoption

Picture credit: leftylex.com in honor of their adoption

I have to admit that adoption really wasn't a big thing on my radar. Well, thanks to some neat people I follow on IG, that has changed! Adoption is such a big part of so many of their lives and it has been inspiring to watch their stories unfold. I have also been blessed to take little parts in their stories. If you are someone who makes handmade items, there are so many opportunities out there! I have been able to donate to two adoption auctions, a third one coming up and also be a part of an exchange to raise funds. It has been so neat!

I am saying all this to say how much I have been blessed by one sweet lady, Alexcis. I found her on IG (@leftylex) through some people that I follow. She was having an IG sale with her adorable hoop necklaces and I immediately fell in love with them! So, I messaged her on Etsy about getting my own and my sweet love, Nathan ordered it for me. =D 

Then I started following her and getting to know her better. Especially about her and her husbands adoption that is in progress. Did you know that adoptions are expensive?? If you have a heart for adoption, please go check her out and see how you can help! This is a website where you can donate to them: http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/melendez-family-adoption/96257 Or click the widget below!

Until next time...

Musical Monday//8

This morning while I was in my quiet time, this song came on Pandora. I had already chosen to give into my flesh today and forgotten to trust my Savior. So this song came at the most perfect time. He is GOOD!

You are for me

Kari Jobe

So faithful, So constant

So loving and so true

So powerful in all You do

You fill me, You see me

You know my every move

You love for me to sing to You

I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me

I know that You will never Forsake me in my weakness

And I know that You have come down

Even if to write upon my heart To remind me who You are

So patient, So gracious

So merciful and true, So wonderful in all You do

You fill me, You see me

You know my every move

And You love for me to sing to You

And Lord, I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me

I know that You will never Forsake me in my weakness

And I know that You have come down

Even if to write upon my heart To remind me

I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me

I know that You will never Forsake me in my weakness

And I know that You have come down

Even if to write upon my heart To remind me who You are

You remind me

I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me

I know that You will never Forsake me in my weakness

And I know that You have come down

Even if to write upon my heart To remind me who You are

___________________________________________________________________

Romans 8:31

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Until next time...

5 Minute Friday//Together

Linking up again with this blog for 5 Minute Friday! If you have no clue what I'm talking about, make sure to hop on over and see!

5 Minutes, no editing, just my heart pouring out about the word "Together"... Go!

Together... It really is a beautiful word. It means - not alone, a common goal, community, love... 

Could you imagine a world without that word? It would be a sad lonely place. We would have to travel this journey alone with no one there to encourage or help. No one to share our joys, fears, and dirty dishes. 

Thankfully, God created this word, "Together". He created us to live in this word. To be together, to work together, to live together, to share happiness together, to share pain together. Through the bonds of His Son's blood, we can be together. We can encourage together, help together. Seek after Him together. 

Is that how I live? Or do I feel as if I have to do this thing called life alone? Do we reach out to each other to be together? I hope so, because this word Together has power.
                        ________________________________________________________

Well, I actually have no idea how long that was because though I thought I pressed start on my timer, I didn't... Oh well! ;) 

And if you didn't know, writing together so many times really makes you feel like it is a strange word... I feel like most words do that though ;)

Although some of you I've never met, I'm so thankful that through these blogs, we can journey together. =) 

Until next time...

EtGoAFS//Complete honesty

Okay, you may be thinking "what in the world is that acronym?? That crazy girl!" Well... I am crazy... ;) But! That acronym stands for "Escaping the Guilt of Already Forgiven Sin", ta-da! I just didn't want to have to write that every. single. time. So, bear with me. ;)  If you haven't read the first part of this "series" please click here and do!

Sometimes I feel as if I'm not very good at going through things unless I have a plan/schedule. It's no different when I study God's word. It helps me a lot to have something helping me know where to study instead of just doing random things! Not that one way is better, it's just how I'm wired. =) So, I turned to my handy dandy concordance in my bible and found forgiveness! There are several verse references there, so I decided to take one a day to study/meditate on/write about. =) The first one hit me right between the eyes and was exactly what I needed to hear and be reminded of! 

Psalm 32:1-3, 5-7a

(The whole chapter is wonderful so please go read it! These are just the specific verses that I definitely want you to read)

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

I ACKNOWLEDGED MY SIN TO YOU, and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you

at a time when you may be found;

surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

You are a hiding place for me;..."

Although scholars aren't certain, it's believed that this Psalm, {Like Psalm 51} was written by David in the aftermath of his sin with Bathsheba. Pretty bad right?? And yet, though I haven't committed adultery and murder, I am also a sinner and this Psalm is for me.

Blessed: 

 - Self-contained happiness; joy regardless of surroundings.

 - Endowed with divine favor and protection.

Cover

 - Hidden

 - Unseen

Those words describe me! {Describe you if you have claimed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord!} But I believe that they do in two different ways. 1st, they always do because I have trusted Jesus as my Savior and so His blood has covered all my sin. I am forgiven, redeemed, always and forever! But as it says in 1st John 1:9, we still must confess sins even as believers. David, was a man after God's own heart, a believer in the OT sense of the word, and this was written through him, for me.

Of course, God knows me better than I know myself. He knows my inner heart and soul, He sees all my sin! But there's something about telling Him that frees us. I have to be completely honest with God. That is a huge way of being set free from the fear and guilt of forgiven sin! Otherwise "my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long".

When I acknowledge my sin in silence, where He can be found, I no longer need to fear, because I know that "You forgave the iniquity of my sin". Can I get an "Amen"??

Until next time...

A giveaway winner!

Traci's giveaway is officially over - thanks to all of you who entered to win! It was a blast! 

And of course, congratulations to Sadie who is the winner. =D So excited for you!

Remember the coupon code on Traci's blog is still good until October 22nd; don't miss out!

Sadie's choice was a Lion Zoottle, whoohoo! Getting his mane =)

Haircut time! Gotta look good for his new home ;)

Next stop: Post office and on his way to Idaho! {That other package is a Penguin Zoottle headed to Kansas. It was won in the adoption auction I was a part of!}

{All these pictures are from my IG account @oodlesofzoottles I'd love for you to check it out!}

Until next time...

Musical Monday//7

Jesus paid it all

Kristian Stanfill

I hear the Savior say, Thy strength 

indeed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.

'Cause Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow'r and Thine alone,

Can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone.

'cause Jesus paid it all, 

All to Him I owe;

my Sin had left this crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,

"Jesus died my soul to save" my lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all, 

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow

He washed it white as snow

O Praise the one who paid my debt

And raised this life up from the dead

well praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead

Jesus 

Happy Monday! Until next time...

5 minute Friday//Laundry

Last Friday, as I was scrolling through my Bloglovin' feed I read a post from Jessica called "5 minute Friday". Each Friday, at this blog, people link up and write a post in 5 minutes with little to no editing, just letting the words flow from the heart. Lisa-Jo puts up a word each week that all the posts are supposed to build around. The cool part is that when you link up you're supposed to go and read the post from the person who linked up before you and leave encouragement; same goes for whoever links up after me! Cool, right?? I know there is no way I will remember to link up every Friday, but I wanted to try it out and see how it goes :)

So, today's word is "laundry", 5 minutes, here I go!

Laundry... I think it's sometimes something we do without even thinking about it. It's just a part of life. And really? There's not much that can happen that will cause that cycle to stop. I mean, yes, there are some things, but not many =) 
{And by the way, I'm not a wife or a mother yet, so I do my laundry and not really anyone else's. That may cause me to have a different view on laundry, but.. That's okay}

No matter what is going on, we all still need laundry and we all still do laundry. Sort, load, change, fold, repeat. Laundry is pretty constant. Isn't that what we need as humans? There are so many variables in our lives. So many things that change, that fail, that leave... Not laundry. It's pretty much here to stay until I die or Jesus comes to get me.

But laundry is not the answer for the need we have for something that is unchanging... The answer is a someone, Jesus! We all need an anchor, a rock, an unchanging thing (read: person) that we can cling to. And Jesus is the only one that can fill that need.

Not laundry, not spouses, not boyfriends, not girlfriends, not family, not children, not money, nothing but the unchanging one, Himself, my Savior, Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 6:19-20

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Hebrews 13:8

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"

_______________________________________________________

Ummm... Did I just do what I think I did?? Compared Jesus to laundry?? That was interesting... ;) I hope you enjoyed my first attempt! And I am looking forward to next week. =)

Until next time...

Escaping the guilt of already forgiven sin//The beginning

Have you ever felt trapped by the past? Like you keep living through it over and over and can never quite move past it? I have that problem and it's actually pretty hard for me to admit that to you. But... As they say, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery ;) so, here it goes.

I get trapped by the past. Specifically by past mistakes, sins, I have done. Trust me, I'm not perfect. My family and Nathan can attest to that :) and there are times when I end up living for myself, or give in to selfishness, or become full of pride; in other words, I allow my flesh to bury the new man, er... Woman in my case :) do I like it? No! I feel like Paul in Romans: what I want to do, I don't and what I don't want to do, I do. I don't know if it has to do with my personality, or what, but it's easy for me to get bogged down when I fail, easy to beat myself up, and forget that I am MORE than a conquerer in Jesus!

I'm not sure when I figured that out or when I pin pointed that was my struggle, but by the grace of God and His Holy Spirit, He showed me what I needed. I needed to recognize that His forgiveness is complete! That I must confess my sins daily and then understand that I am free from them! That I am free to move forward in His power, free from the guilt and the fear.

That's how I decided to begin studying out what it meant when God says He forgives my sins. I trusted in The Lord Jesus when I was 6 and have re-committed my life to Him several times and I know I am His! But somehow I don't think I have ever truly studied out what God's forgiveness means; shame on me! But, better now than later and better late than never I guess :) it really helps me to write/talk things out, so I'm going to be sharing (hopefully somewhat regularly) about what God has been teaching me here on my blog, and I hope you all will share your thoughts as well and are encouraged through my study. This is more of an intro, since I didn't want it to be super duper long ;) but next time I'll be diving into some scripture!

{P.S. My Grand opening Coupon Code has expired, but Traci's Oodles of Zoottles giveaway has a little less than a day left. Hurry on over to enter and check out the coupon code there!}

Until next time...

Musical Monday//6

Well, faithful old Monday has rolled around again ;) The weekend was pretty good all around. A slow Saturday, good church service on Sunday and then Nathan came up and we watched Peyton and played games and went to Starbucks. =D Forgive me for all the "and"s ;)

Mondays, as you know by now, means Musical Mondays! Enjoy and feel free to write your own, leaving the link to your post in the comments so I can check it out =)

Dwell

Aaron Keyes

Though a thousand may fall at my side

Though the enemy war against me

I will not fear the terror by night

I will hide in the shadow of your wings

I will dwell in the shelter of the Most High God

I will rest in the beauty of your presence

Your faithfulness is a shield and my great reward

I will not be afraid, I will trust in the Lord

You have set me securely on high, You've delivered me out of darkness

And when evil surrounds my life, You've commanded your angels to guard me

No weapon formed against me will prosper

No weapon formed against me will prosper

No weapon formed against me will prosper

Says the Lord

Until next time...

A birthday trip to the Zoo!

September 30th is Nathan's birthday, as you may have figured out from this post. =) You may be surprised to know that he had never gone to a real zoo before. Well, since at Lowry Park Zoo you get in free for your birthday, we just couldn't pass it up! I love getting to do things like this with my love.

Our big plans almost didn't happen because Nathan ended up pulling Jury Duty... Happy birthday from the government! ;) But, we are super thankful because God worked it out that he could still come! 

Mom, my little sister Katheryn, and my older sister Jaquelyn came along too. =D We had such a good time! Nathan got to see his penguins, we fed the goats and a giraffe, and just enjoyed exploring all the zoo has to offer together. 

You can even see baby Graham sticking out =) (Jaquelyn is expecting!)

This little girl was so cute trying to feed the horses!

Wallabies!

Nathan didn't really like the goats =)

Just chillin' ;)

Pygmy Hippos! Even a baby one!

Feeding time!

We had just ridden the flume; we were pretty soaked!

Well, I have about a million more pictures I could show you, but I think I've given you enough ;) I'm excited to see what other adventures we go on together!

Until next time...